One Shot Soundtrack Volume I
by ossoundtrack
Summary: One shot contest all about music! Take a "listen"
1. Introduction

**Welcome to the One Shot Soundtrack! The tracklist will start posting the weekend of November 17th so make sure to check back and take a "listen" ; )**

**Details:**

**Each author was assigned a random song to inspire their one shot. One shots must be at least 3,000 words and include a lyric from their assigned song. Check back for the reveal of the tracklist and other updates : )**


	2. Tracklist Preview

**Tracklist preview! Find a little teaser of the tracklist for the "soundtrack" : )**

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Uptown Girl by Billy Joel

Gallery by Mario Vasquez

Misery Business by Paramore

These Days by Rascal Flatts

Son of A Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield

Open Your Heart to Me by Madonna

You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift

And Many More... Check back for updates : )

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**Posting of o/s begin the weekend of November 17th**


	3. Love the Way You Lie

**The One Shots will be begin posting in two weeks! Woot! Now I couldn't very well sit back and let everyone else have all the fun with this contest so I wrote up a lil something as well. Please note this entry is NOT eligible to win since it's mine, but I just wanted to participate. So in the spirit of the soundtrack's upcoming release I've posted my "track" for your enjoyment. Again, this entry is NOT eligible to win and will NOT be a poll option once voting starts. **

**I encourage reviews on ALL the entries once they are posted because I know how hard everyone is working on them. I've received 3 so far and I'm telling you they're GOOD. So please leave the authors some love and let them know you appreciate their work. You should also go check out their profile and see if they have any other pieces for you to feast your eyes on. **

**Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, but these one shots are property of their respective authors. No reproduction or copying is allowed without the author's written consent and one shots may not be posted anywhere else until after the contest has ended.  
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**One Shot Track: "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem and Rihanna**

**Artist: MandyLeigh87  
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**Edward**

"Edward!" Jasper pounded on my front door. "Get the fuck up, you have to go to work!"

I groaned and nestled back into the couch. It smelled like vomit, cheese and beer. I didn't want to move an inch. I was still hung-over as hell from last night and I had no interest in going to work today, but I can't lose this job. I haven't even technically started yet and I was on track to being asshole employee of the month.

I rolled off the couch and stumbled over the glass bottles on the floor as I made my way to the door. I flung it open and kept walking towards the bathroom so I could take a piss. Jasper stepped inside my apartment and sighed, taking in its appearance.

"Did you have another party?" He asked. I heard him start to pick up the bottles and set them back on the table.

"No. Just me." I closed my eyes and rested my hand over the toilet, almost too fucked up to even function. I finished up and brushed my teeth before I started back out into the living room.

"You have to stop doing this…" He mumbled. He glanced at the line of beer bottles on the table.

"I don't have to do anything." I threw on my hoodie and stepped into my shoes, not even bothering to tie them up.

"Edward. I know his birthday was yesterday but you can't keep doing this to yourself. You have to…move on. He wouldn't want you to be this way. He would want you to feel better."

"I feel nothing." I pulled out the bottle of liquor from my ice filled freezer and shook it. There was only enough left for about one shot and I needed something to keep me numb. I popped the top off and tipped it back. I barely tasted the liquor before Jasper ripped it away from my lips and threw the bottle into the sink. It crashed to the side and broke into pieces.

"Go to work," he snapped. He turned around and walked out of my apartment, slamming the door violently behind him.

I ran my fingers through my hair and grabbed my wallet from the counter. I slipped it into my back pocket and picked up my keys from the floor before heading out.

It was raining outside but I didn't give a shit. I pulled my hood up and stomped through the puddles as I made my way towards the grocery store.

It sat nestled in a building a few blocks away from my apartment. I walked up to the door and peeked inside. It was still fairly dark since they weren't open yet, but I saw a young girl bustling around behind one of the cash registers. I knocked on the glass and she whipped around. Her eyes widened as I waved her over. She glanced around to the other registers, almost like she was scared to be alone with me or something.

She tucked a piece of her long brown hair behind her ear before nervously shuffling towards the door. She bit down on her lip and barely cracked the door.

"We're not open yet," she said. She shook her head and started to close the door again.

"No I know," I started. "I'm supposed to start work today. I'm supposed to meet…" I started racking my brain trying to figure out that guy's name. "Mike?"

"Oh. Okay. He's in the back." She opened the door further for me and stepped aside.

"Thanks." I glanced at her as I walked by and noted her name on the button pinned on her chest. "Bella."

"Sure." She locked the door back up behind us and nodded towards the back of the store before going back to work at the register.

I weaved my way through the aisles and found a door at the back that was propped open a little. I peeked inside and saw a blonde guy standing there holding a clipboard. He glanced up at the clock and back down at it. I cleared my throat and took a step in. He spun around towards me and smiled slightly.

"You must be Edward?" He asked.

"That's me." I shrugged.

"Great. I know you've already filled out the appropriate paperwork so I'll just show you what you'll be doing." He handed me an ugly ass orange vest and a button with my name on it. "You'll be doing mostly stocking and it's fairly straight forward."

"Okay." I slipped on the vest and followed him further towards the back of the store. He showed me through the stockroom as well as where the trucks are unloaded. There was one pulling up so he decided to leave me to it. Another guy named Eric popped in and started helping me.

"New?" He asked.

"Yeah." I bent down and lifted another large box up.

"You know sometimes they'll move you from stocking to registers if you kiss ass." He struggled with his box and followed closely behind me.

"I don't mind the physical work. I'm not really interested in being social with anyone." I didn't care that I was being rude. I didn't take this job to make friends. I took it to make rent.

We unloaded in silence for the next hour aside from that horrendous shit they call music in the background.

"Edward!" Mike called. "Feel free to take your break."

I nodded and stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. I stopped abruptly when I saw the same girl from earlier leaning against the back of the building. She flicked her cigarette and sighed as she talked on her cell phone.

I glanced down at the ground and pulled my own pack out of my back pocket. I grabbed a cigarette and settled it between my lips before flicking out my lighter. I shielded the end from the wind and quickly lit it as I watched her from the corner of my eye.

She seemed so timid, so withdrawn. Her thin and pale appearance didn't help at all either. For the first time in a long time I almost felt like she had it worse than me. Her eyes flickered my way and quickly back away.

I jumped as another girl flitted past me right towards Bella.

"Hey can I bum one?" She asked. Bella took a few more moments on the phone before hanging up and handing the girl a cigarette. "Damn. Did you run into the counter again?" The girl glanced down at Bella's arm. My eyes narrowed on her skin as I took in the dark purple bruises around her forearm.

"Oh," Bella stuttered. "Yeah. I do that a lot." She shook her head and bit down on her lip.

"We should pad your register. You get more bruises than anyone I know." The girl laughed and took a long drag from her cigarette.

I sighed and closed my eyes. Even from here I could make out the shape of a handprint in the dark marks. Damn.

When I opened my eyes again the girl was brushing past me and stepped back inside. Bella struggled to pull her sleeve down far enough to cover the marks. She blushed and looked down in embarrassment when she saw me watching her. I knew I had issues but that was fucked up. Someone had done that to her and even though I didn't know anything more than her name I felt the need to protect her, which seemed strange to me. I didn't even care about protecting myself, why the hell should I care about other people?

Bella threw her cigarette down to the ground and brushed past me with her arm crossed over her chest. She avoided any eye contact and I swear I could almost feel the tension rolling off her as she walked by.

When she was gone I pulled out my cell phone and saw I had a missed call from my mom so I called her back.

"Edward?" She answered.

"Hey Mom," I mumbled.

"How'd your first day go?"

"It's good, I guess. I'm just on a break now." I shrugged and flicked the ashes of my cigarette down on the concrete.

"Good honey. I'm glad you found a nice job." It wasn't really that nice of a job but I knew she really just meant that she was happy I found a job in general. My father had refused to keep paying my rent, said I was getting too lazy. But she'd been slipping me money on the side to keep me afloat.

"Yeah."

"Do you have your meeting with your friend tomorrow?" She asked. I sighed and cursed under my breath. She meant therapist. She just knew I hated that fucking word so she called him my friend. Changing his name didn't make me want to go tell him shit about my life any more than it did before.

"Yes." I gritted my teeth and rubbed my cigarette out on the brick behind me.

"How's it going with him?"

"I don't see the point," I admitted.

"He wants to help you make it better Edward."

"I don't want to feel better. I deserve to be miserable." I regretted the words as soon as they slipped out. It wasn't that I didn't believe them but it just opened up a whole new can of worms with my mother. She'd become very protective and inquisitive about my life since everything that happened last year. I guess when something that fucked up happens to you it can mess you up. I'm the epitome of that and everyone felt like they had to walk on eggshells around me except for Jasper. If I really gave a shit about being better he'd be the best one to help me. He doesn't put up with my shit like everyone else does.

"Edward," she scolded.

I sighed and shook my head. "I have to go. My break is over."

"Okay I'll talk to you soon. I love you."

"Love you too." I hung up and slammed my fist back on the building. I needed a drink. And the fact that I was working in a building that had an abundant supply of liquor that I couldn't have right now pissed me off.

I pushed off the brick and started back inside. Eric and I unloaded two more trucks before Mike showed me how to stock in the store. I loaded a few of the boxes onto the dolly and wheeled them out into the store. I set it down and ripped it open so I could unload the boxes of cereal onto the shelves. It was boring as all hell but at least it wasn't hard.

I could see the registers from the aisle and I found myself glancing that way every so often. Bella's register was at the end but the store wasn't very busy so she was leaning against her counter picking at her nails. The girl from earlier was in the register next to her and seemed completely oblivious to Bella's indifference to whatever she was talking about.

The moment I let my eyes linger for more than a few moments Bella's eyes shot up, almost like she knew I was watching her. Her brow scrunched tightly together as she stared back for a long moment. I didn't even realize I'd completely stopped moving until a customer walked through the front doors. He instantly walked straight towards Bella and wrapped his arms around her waist.

I started stocking the shelves again and tried to focus on my work, but every time I turned to grab another box I'd see them. They talked for a few minutes and I couldn't tell if it was a pleasant conversation or not. The guy seemed like a punk to me and I assumed he was the one hurting her. He smiled the entire time while she shrugged and shook her head. He kissed her briefly before disappearing back through the front doors. It made me nauseous to see the obvious fake love between them, but apparently I was the only one who noticed. I know love can be fucked up sometimes, but no love on this damn planet would produce those bruises. None.

I shook my head and finished up my work. When I was done I went back and found Mike and he told me I could head home. I guess when you stock you're usually just there in the mornings. He showed me where I could hang up my vest and showed me how to clock out.

"I'll see you tomorrow Edward," he said. He waved slightly and left.

I didn't see Bella when I left but the other girl waved to me. I snuck a glance at her nametag. _Jessica._ I smiled slightly and waved back.

I stopped by the liquor store on the way back and picked up a few bottles. I was pretty sure Jasper broke my last one this morning.

When I got home I sat down on my couch and popped open one of the bottles. There was a glass already sitting on the table so I took it, wiped it out with my hoodie and poured myself some liquor.

The photo album from last night laid open on the floor beside the couch, flipped open to a random page. I downed the rest of my glass and picked it up. As soon as I saw his face I felt the knife stabbing right through my chest, sharp and unforgiving. I felt the tightness start to creep into my chest, cutting off my air supply. I threw the album down on the ground, right back where it came from. It slammed shut and shielded me from him.

I took a few more gulps of the liquor and laid back down on my couch. My finger unconsciously drifted up to my chest and traced along the tattoo just above my heart. I could almost feel the burn as my fingers danced along the letter, smoldering deep inside my chest. It was my reminder of everything I'd done. Everything I lost. I fucking hated myself.

**Bella**

"Did you see the new guy?" Jessica said. "He's kind of hot."

I glanced down the first aisle and saw him stocking the shelves. He'd scared the shit out of me earlier when he knocked on the front door. I wasn't expecting anyone and I was just going about my business getting ready for the day. His face was completely hidden inside his dripping wet hoodie and I thought for the slightest moment that he might be trying to break in. Against my better judgment I cracked open the door and was relieved to find he was actually working here.

"He's alright." I shrugged and turned back to the register.

"Oh that's right. You can't think guys are cute. You're taken."

"He's cute," I admitted. I bit down on my lip and turned my eyes back to him and found him staring at me. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks, but I couldn't look away. I'd felt so embarrassed earlier when he saw my bruises. I almost felt like he knew the truth. Like he wouldn't believe all the bullshit I tell all the people around here. To be completely honest I'd forgotten about them. I usually at least try to cover them up with makeup. It's a good thing I'm so clumsy anyway it makes it all believable. Pathetic right? I never thought I'd be this person. I was the one who yelled at all those girls in the Lifetime movies to just get the fuck out and now I'm stuck in my own. That's all it is. You're stuck. Never moving forward. Just completely stranded. Every time he hits me or does some other stupid ass thing I tell myself it's the last time and it never is. My life is a fucking joke and I'm the punchline.

I jumped as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. I smelled him the moment he leaned down close to me and almost cringed back from the contact.

"Hey baby," James said.

"Hi." My body melted back into his and I smiled slightly. It was strange how I could go from hating him to loving him. Crossing back and forth like it was this invisible line. It was an intensity I've never known before and even though I knew it was unhealthy I couldn't break away. I didn't know how else love should be. This was it for me and I knew it. I was never going to get out. He was either going to leave me or kill me. Or maybe both.

"When do you get off?" He palmed his hand over my breast for the shortest instant.

"Five."

"Okay good. We're going out with some of my buddies tonight."

"Babe I don't want to. I'm exhausted."

"I'll meet you at home around six okay? We'll have fun." He kissed me quickly and left.

"How'd you find such an amazing guy?" Jessica asked, her eyes lingering after James.

"I don't know," I mumbled. "Just lucky I guess."

I took a short break to grab a snack and a cigarette before returning to the register. When I got back I noticed Edward was gone and Jess said something about him leaving for the day. I finished up the rest of my shift and clocked out before heading home. I wasn't lying when I said I was exhausted. I'd been working early shifts everyday this week and it was starting to wear me down.

When I got home I undressed and ran myself a nice bath so I could relax for a little bit. I pulled out a book and started flipping through to where I'd left off last time. It didn't take long for me to doze off in the warm water. It felt so comforting and so safe…at least until I heard the front door slam.

I submerged myself in the water and closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down before I had to deal with him. When I opened my eyes again I saw him standing above the bathtub, blurry and floating above the water. He crouched down beside me and waited for me to emerge from the water.

"I thought I said we were going out," he snapped.

"I thought I said I didn't want to go." I turned back to my book and flipped the page. The next thing I knew it was ripped from my hands and hit the wall with a soft thud.

"I'll wait for you out in the living room." He turned around and left me alone, shaking and trembling in fear. It was always like that. There were times where I could tell he was more volatile than usual but it always happened like an explosion. And what just happened? That was nothing.

I crawled out of the tub and wrapped a towel around myself before bending down and picking my book up off the floor. I crossed the hallway and went into our bedroom to change. When I was finished I went back into the bathroom and hung my towel up on the shower rod.

"What the fuck are you doing?" James asked.

"Hanging my towel up." I turned around and brushed past him, rubbing my hands on my sweatpants.

"You're not wearing those out?" He nodded to my ensemble in shock.

"I'm not going."

"Damnit Bella I don't have time for this!" He yelled. He grabbed my arm just as I started into the bedroom and spun me back around. I winced as my head slammed back against the wall. "Get ready."

"No." I glared at him, almost challenging him with my gaze. I knew he hated when I talked back to him and that was part of the problem. My snarky mouth didn't make my situation any easier, but I just couldn't stop it. If he pissed me off I was going to tell him. We were like two unstoppable forces. Maybe it's what happens when a tornado meets a volcano. Meeting in the middle wasn't even an option. We were destructive for one another and at the same time I felt like I couldn't breathe without him.

He shifted his weight back and forth with a fire, something dark and twisted, smoldering behind his eyes. He laughed darkly and pulled his fist back. I cowered back into the wall and waited for the hit. It never came.

I jumped as his fist crashed into the wall beside my head, leaving a large hole mirroring several others around the house. He let his fingers fall to my shoulder and drift across my skin until they came up around my neck. The moment I felt him squeeze I shoved him back and ran towards the bathroom. He reached for me as I slammed the door in his face and slid the lock into place.

I slid down the back of the door, putting as much pressure as possible against it as he repeatedly pounded into it. He'd broken a door down before and I didn't know how much it helped, but I never felt like the lock was enough.

I wiped away the tears as my head slammed against the door each time he ran into it trying to knock it down. I ran my fingers through my hair, tugging and pulling in frustration.

I sniffled and reached over behind the cabinet for my pack of cigarettes I kept in here for times like these. I pulled out the lighter and flicked it a couple of times, watching as the flame flew up and flickered. I passed my finger through it a few times and let my mind wander away from here. Sometimes when I felt strong enough to stand up to him I imagined setting the apartment on fire and crawling out the window to escape my life. I never did.

I lit a cigarette and waited for the pounding and screaming to calm down. I was hoping he would just go out anyway and leave me alone for a few hours. It was all we ever needed. Some time for both of us to calm down.

I ran my fingers across the back of my head, wincing when I passed over the tender spot. That'd leave a bump. At least it wasn't one I'd have to cover up.

I finished my cigarette as the apartment fell silent. I didn't hear a door slam so I wasn't sure if he was gone or not.

I sat on my bathroom floor for three hours, never moving, never making a sound. I even fell asleep a few times leaning back against the door or against the cabinet.

I finally got up and carefully undid the lock. I peeked outside and the entire apartment was pitch black. I pulled my hair back over my shoulder and stumbled into our bedroom. I instantly spotted the bottle of liquor sitting on the nightstand and tensed. I wasn't alone.

I felt him come up behind me and snake his arms around my waist, pulling me back into him. His lips brushed across my bare shoulder as his fingers dug into my flesh.

"I'm sorry baby…" He whispered against my skin.

"I know," I mumbled. I let my head fall back against his shoulder as his lips traveled across my skin. He backed us up until he hit the wall and spun me around. He pressed his forehead to mine and pushed me against the wall, completely surrounding me. It was intoxicating and completely sliced right through me. I craved him like a bad drug.

He leaned down and ran his tongue across my lips before capturing them in his. He tugged lightly on my hair as he slammed us harder against the wall. His hands drifted down and pulled my sweats off before discarding his jeans. I winced in pain and pleasure as he thrust himself into me, crashing us so hard into the drywall and the picture beside us shook and fell to the ground. And then I was lost to him. So lost.

An hour later I lay completely naked in our bed with him beside me. I rolled over onto my stomach and ran my finger along the edge of the nightstand, focusing on all the rough edges around the top. It'd been knocked over enough times that I was surprised it wasn't more damaged.

I sat up and settled my legs over the edge of the bed. I ran my hands over my face and sighed. I felt James sit up behind me and scoot closer. His finger drifted softly down my spine.

"Don't ever leave me…" He whispered.

"I won't." I shook my head and bit down on my lip, trying to hold back the tears. I hated him. I loved him. I hated my fucking life.

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**Look out for the other tracks starting the 17th : )**


	4. Important Information

**For "Listeners": One shots will post tomorrow evening (November 18th) : ) Please take the time to read all the entries, they'll all really good and I loved reading them. This is supposed to be a fun contest so please no flaming, but please please leave a review for the authors. They worked really hard on these. After you've finished reading them all make sure to vote for your favorite in the poll on the main page (towards the top). You can only vote for one so make sure you read all of them before you do so : ) Thanks for taking a listen.**

**For Authors: First of all thank you sooooo much for participating. I absolutely loved each and every one shot, definitely check out the other entries. It was so interesting to see people's interpretations of songs and the stories that might go along with them. I hope you had fun : ) I will announce the winner and the DJ's Choice sometime right after December 17th via twitter and email and we can further discuss what you would like as your prize. Make sure to get all your ff friends to read and vote. Thanks again! P.S. reminder one shots cannot be posted on your personal account until AFTER the contest has closed.  
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	5. Galway Girl

**Please make sure you read all 11 entries before casting your vote. **

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**One Shot Soundtrack Contest**

**Pen Name**: ImHereToReview

**Title:** My Galway Girl

**Rating: **M – Mature

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Before Edward starts life after school and residency he wants to travel the world. His travels lead him to Galway, Ireland, where he meets Bella. Friendship blossoms and sparks fly. What happens when he won't share the whole truth? Is Bella hiding something too?  
My entry for the One Shot Soundtrack Contest, hosted by MandyLeigh87  
Song assignment: _Galway Girl_ by Steve Earl  
AH, Cannon, Romance

**~!~*~!*~~!~*~!*~~!~*~!*~~!~*~!*~~!~*~!*~**

~*MGG*~

"Edward, me lad. How have you been? Your Granny and I have missed you. Come here and let us get a closer look at you."

Smiling, I walk further into my grandparents' home and drop my bags as I'm greeted with the most delicious aroma of my grandmother's cooking.

I look down at my grandfather, my mother's father. His smile is not to be contained and his eyes sparkle with excitement. No doubt because of the two week visit I have planned in their home town, Galway City, Ireland.

I am the spitting image of his younger years, though he is several inches shorter than me. We share the same copper hair and green eyes, which are too dominating of features to not be passed down throughout our many generations. Though there seems to be more grey than copper on his head these days.

"I'm doing well, Pops. The question is…how are you, old man?" I reach out my hand to shake his.

Before he can answer, my grandmother scuttles in from the kitchen waving a wooden spoon in her hand. Her grey hair is pulled back in a loose bun and her floral apron is splattered with bits of what appears to be lunch.

"Edward!"

She throws her skinny arms around me and squeezes harder than I would have thought she had the strength for.

"Oh, how we've missed you."

She releases me and waves the spoon around again.

"Come in, come in. I was just finishing up our lunch. You're staying, right?"

She looks up at me with hopeful grey eyes.

"Of course I'm staying for lunch, Granny. And for dinner too, if you'll have me?"

She clucks her tongue at me and waves me off. "Goes without sayin'."

She smiles and gives a nod before she starts back toward the kitchen. Half way through the doorway she stops and looks over her shoulder. "I set the spare bed up for ya. Assumed you were staying with us, being as it's your first night." The tone of her voice has a hint of insistence in it that I remember well.

I smile and roll my eyes at her persistence. I'm not about to argue with my grandmother. If she wants to spoil me, who am I to stop her?

I smile and nod at my grandfather, who is smiling just as big as his wife.

I only have two weeks to visit my grandparents before I am to head to Dublin for the last two weeks of my overseas journey. I want to see them as much as possible, as well as see the sites of Galway.

~*MGG*~

"Lunch was great. Thank you, Nana. I love your cooking." I hold my stomach as I stand to clear my dishes.

"Well, you're welcome, son. We're just so glad you're here."

She sees what I'm doing and clucks her tongue at me while waving her hands around.

"You leave those dishes to me. You're a guest here. Go settle in with your Granddad and I'll get these."

I smile and thank her again. She insists on spoiling me and I can't do anything about it.

I make my way back to my grandfather, who is sitting outside smoking a pipe. He offers me some of his tobacco and I decline.

I sit down next to him in one of the old, rickety rocking-chairs lined up along the porch.

"No thank you, Pops. You know that stuff will kill you."

"Aye, but what a way to go," he says with a distant look in his eyes.

I laugh and roll my eyes at him. Though he's on in years, it hasn't stifled his silliness.

"Not really, Pops. It's actually a terribly uncomfortable way to die. I'm a doctor, remember?"

"Aye," is all he says as he shrugs his shoulders.

He's old and set in his ways. I'm not going to convince my seventy-five year old grandfather to quit smoking after his sixty year habit.

We sit in silence, rocking back and forth, for a while before he speaks again. It's a little awkward. My grandfather doesn't usually like to sit and have long serious conversations; he's always been like that. When he does talk, it's usually to make a joke or make fun of someone. He's always been silly and loves to hear people laugh, usually at other's expense.

It's when he wants to chat that it gets weird. He's not so great with serious conversations.

"So, young fella. You'll be here with us in Galway for two weeks?" he asks, attempting to start some small talk.

"Yep," I respond with an extra pop on the 'p'.

Both my grandparents know I'll be here for two weeks. While I was planning this trip, over three months ago, he and I discussed it in great detail. He decided that he wanted to be the one to drive me from Galway to Dublin, when my trip was coming to a close.

"What do you want to do while you're here in Galway, son?"

"I'm not really sure exactly. I know I want to spend some time with you and Granny, but I want to see a few sites, too."

"Aye, you'll have to take a stroll on the promenade up in Salthill."

I nod my head in agreement.

We are quiet again for a few minutes before he speaks up.

"You know, I met your Granny while visiting a friend in Galway years and years ago," he says while snuffing out his pipe.

"Oh yeah?"

"I did. My buddy and I were leaving the pub one afternoon when she walked past us. She was shopping. Her hands were loaded down with bags and I asked her if she needed help.

"She was very taken with me, if I do say so myself. We've been inseparable ever since. I moved here shortly after losing my heart to a Galway Girl."

I've heard their story before. We visited Ireland a few times when I was younger and my grandfather told the story every time he got a new audience. My grandmother used to just smile and roll her eyes at his enthusiasm.

But for some reason their story seems to make more sense to me. Maybe because I am older now, I'm not sure. I can see just how much they love each other. Thinking about settling down with someone I love doesn't sound so boring anymore. Not that there are any prospects mind you, but it sounds nice.

"So tell me about the other places you've been on your trip so far, Edward. You said you went to Italy and then France?"

"Yes, sir."

~*MGG*~

My grandfather and I talked for a while about my trip. He was excited to hear about the other countries I'd visited. Shortly thereafter my grandmother asked him to run an errand for her. I offered to do it but she insisted it was "part of his job". I laughed at the scowl on his face until he punched me in the arm. For an old man, he's got a pretty good right hook. My arm still fucking hurts a little.

Before he leaves, my grandfather – again - suggests I take a stroll on the old long walk. He insists that the promenade is not a sight to be missed.

I head out the door, following the directions my grandfather gave me. He recommended I call a taxi because, from here, I wasn't too close to town.

The breeze from the open windows and the afternoon sun feels nice as I make my way downtown. The driver stops and tells me where I need to go. I follow his instructions and head down the path.

The view is amazing and the architecture is subtle yet timeless. The bay is beautiful with the sun shining brightly against its choppy surface. The walk is long and the company sparse, but I can see a few couples walking and children playing in the distance.

As I continue along I'm suddenly mesmerized by long, wavy chestnut-brown hair. Whoever belongs to the tresses has me captivated simply by gazing out into the bay. She's facing the water with her back to me. Her fingers move up to tuck a lock of her wayward hair behind her ear. Her posture is stand-offish.

As my eyes roam further, I realize she has a tight body, to match her beautiful hair. The tee shirt she wears matches the steely, blue-grey color of the bay perfectly. Her jeans are frayed at the cuff and snug enough to show every curve, yet loose enough to tell onlookers to she's not interested in being hit on. Her shoes are a muted light pink pair of Chuck Taylors that appear to be well worn. This girl exudes "I don't give a fuck." But I want to get to know her…badly. I haven't even seen her face, let alone talk to her, but there's something inside me…pulling me toward her. I want to know this girl.

I continue to approach her, careful to keep a respectful distance. I don't want to scare her, or worse yet…piss her off.

From behind I hear laughing and turn in time to see two small children run past me. Their laughter is contagious and I break into a happy smile. I brush my fingers through my hair and as I watch them pass. They appear to be playing a game of tag.

I return my gaze to the brown haired beauty to find that she has turned. She's watching me. I meet her eyes and I'm captivated. All I see is a pair of wide, chocolate eyes set in a pale, heart-shaped face. I always thought brown to be boring and flat, but the depth of her liquid brown eyes is beyond words.

I pull my hand from my hair to give her a small wave and a genuine smile. She returns my smile and shyly waves back, tucking her bottom lip between her teeth. Though her clothes scream, "leave me the fuck alone" her body, eyes and expression do not. I feel comforted enough to approach her, ever so slowly. She's turned back toward the water but her body is angled as if she's inviting me closer.

I shuffle my feet a little to make enough noise so she can hear my approach. She turns toward me again and offers another small smile.

Now that I'm closer, I notice a light pink hue on the apples on her cheeks. I can't tell if it's from blushing or from being chilled. The breeze coming off the bay is whipping her hair around, but it's not cold by any means. She looks down at her feet before looking up at me again. The pink gets darker and I realize she's blushing. It's…cute.

I'm only a few feet away from her now and feel drawn to talk to her…to know her. I reach out and offer her my hand.

"Hi, I'm Edward."

Her eyes widen briefly before she composes herself. I think she's surprised to hear my American accent. She offers her hand in return.

"Hello. I…I'm Isabella…Bella. I'm Bella," she stammers.

Her accent is cute. I can't quite place it. There's definitely an Irish lilt but not exactly. She also doesn't look like the typical Irishman…Irish-woman…whichever.

"Sorry, I usually don't just walk up and introduce myself to people. You just looked…lonesome," I offer.

"Oh…no. It's okay. I'm not lonely. Not really. Well, maybe. I just like to come here and watch…everything. You know?" She turns and gazes back across the water with a distant look in her eyes.

"Yeah," is my only reply. I can't keep my eyes off of her.

She turns back to me and apologizes. "I'm sorry. I was just standing here thinking. I like to come here when I need to get some space.

Now I feel bad because I've intruded on her alone time. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. I just…I don't know. I just wanted to come say hi. So…hi." I smile down at her and watch the pink hue return to her cheeks.

She's breathtaking.

"So, I'll see ya. It was nice meeting you, Isabella. Bella," I corrected with a smile.

I start to turn and head back up the path I just traveled.

"So, you're American?" she asks a little louder than necessary.

I turn back toward her and answer. "Yes, I am. I just got here today, as a matter of fact."

"Oh yeah? What brings you all the way to Ireland, Edward?"

I turn to face her fully again and take few steps closer toward her. I want to know this girl.

"Well, the short answer is I'm here to visit my grandparents."

"And the long answer?" she presses.

"The long answer might require a pretty girl to walk with me while I talk." I'm being a little bold in my approach but she seems to have that affect on me. I normally wouldn't bother walking up to a woman without being prompted. They usually come to me. Not that there are that many that have…hell…I'm rambling in my own head again.

"Alright," she responds with a smirk.

"Alright."

I am a little shocked with her quick acceptance, but quickly brush it off. I certainly don't want her to think I'm not interested. Because I am…interested.

We start to walk together and she looks at me expectantly.

I smirk at her and start my story.

"Before I start my career, I wanted to take some time off, explore other countries. I started in Italy."

Her eyes widened and she asked, "Italy, alone?"

I chuckle and respond, "Yes, alone. I'm perfectly capable of traveling alone."

"Right, I know. I mean I don't know, but I…you look fine enough to travel alone. Not that you're fine. I mean you are…" Her eyes widen even further, realizing what she has said.

I laugh because she is so flustered she can't complete a sentence.

"So, anyway." I give her a pointed look.

She waves her hand, telling me to go on. The blush on her cheeks darkens and she hides behind her hair to disguise it.

"So, I spent two weeks in Italy. Have you been?"

She shakes her head, silently telling me she hasn't.

"It's beautiful. I've studied Italian culture and the language since high school. Something about it just makes me want to know more. You know?"

The question is rhetorical but she nods nonetheless.

"Anyway, I spent two weeks there before going to France. It's where my father's family is from. I have never been to either country and just wanted to…I don't know…do something different. See something different before being tied down to my career."

"I know how you feel," she replies under her breath.

"What's that?"

"Nothing." She recovers and starts again. "So, that still doesn't answer why you're here in Ireland."

~*MGG*~

"Aileen? Aileen! Where is my pipe and tobacco?"

"I hid it."

"What?"

"You heard me. I hid it."

"Well, where have you hidden it? You know I like to smoke after I eat."

I hear a noise that sounds much like the back door slap against the frame before I hear my grandfather cursing and my grandmother giggle.

My grandparents are amazing, but they are used to living alone and are set in their ways, so they tend to not tip toe around their guests. It's always been this way, even when I visited them as a small child.

Their little spat has officially woken me up and I'm sure that I won't be able to get back to sleep even if I tried. Thoughts of Bella run through my mind and I can't wait to get my day started. I want to settle into my hotel and see more of the sights. And maybe see more of Bella.

When we finally separated yesterday I felt lighter, happier…I don't know how to explain it. I just felt comfortable with her. We talked for hours about random things; how our countries differ but how similar they are in the same respect.

She told me she was an only child and that her parents are Americans. She said her father works for a large company and he travels a lot. They sent him here, to Ireland, to help open another location. Her parents decided to settle in Galway until Bella finished school. Her best friend, Rosalie, lives close by with her parents and her twin brother, Jasper. Their father works with Bella's father.

I told her why I was in Ireland and what brought me here. I talked about my brother, Emmett and sister, Alice. I joked that having siblings wasn't all it was cracked up to be. She laughed and I made it my personal goal to hear it again.

The sound wasn't exactly what you would expect to hear from a twenty-two year old girl. The giggle started off natural and cute before ending with a little snort. She was embarrassed at the sound and blushed deeply. I quickly deflected and steered the conversation back to my childhood. I didn't want her to be embarrassed. It was just the way she was and I really…really liked it.

We talked about everything and nothing during our walk. I got her to laugh again but made sure not to watch her too closely. It was easy to see she didn't like being the center of attention. Time got away from us and we both had somewhere to be. We exchanged phone numbers and promised to talk again soon.

I hope that means really soon because I'm not sure I can stay away from her much longer.

After an early breakfast with my crazy grandparents I settle into my hotel, which Bella and I had passed during our walk the day before. I hope she lives close by. I want to see her again today. Maybe I can convince her to be my unofficial tour guide.

Mid morning I give her a call and she agrees to meet me in the lobby of my hotel at noon. So for the next two hours I basically try not to put holes in the walls or wear a path in the carpet from my erratic bouncing back and forth. I pull out my notebook and journal about my first day in Ireland. Though I write about the city and my grandparents, the subject continues to turn toward Bella and my meeting her yesterday.

When the clock hits twenty minutes 'til twelve I can't contain myself any longer. I grab everything I will need for the day and practically run toward the elevators. When I finally hit the lobby, I've only used up five minutes and I figure I will have to wait until Bella arrives because I'm so early.

When I turn the corner I catch a glimpse of long, wavy brunette hair. Just like yesterday she's turned away from me. She's gazing out the window and looking more beautiful than anyone has a right to.

What I failed to notice initially now runs a thrill up my spine. She's early.

My heart sails and I'm elated in the fact that she might be as excited about today as I am.

My body buzzes the closer to get to her. She turns just before I reach her and her smile is beaming, causing me to beam right along with her. She brings it out in me. Once we're close enough I figure I need to greet her, but can't decide if I should just say 'hi' or shake her hand. I've never been this awkward with a girl before.

I choose to let my heart decide and realize too late that I am leaning in to kiss her cheek. The heat from her blush warms my lips before I pull back and smile down at her. I'm a little surprised at my forwardness toward this girl, but can't seem to care enough to apologize.

"Hi." I smile down at her as her blush slowly extinguishes.

"Hi," she responds shyly.

"So, you want to get some lunch? My treat."

"Yeah, lunch sounds nice. Then I'll take you to Kitty O' Shea's for a pint. You'll love it."

That second day with Bella set off a chain of events that I wasn't wholly prepared for.

~*MGG*~

The early morning rain slows our daily tour, not that I mind. Bella is in my room, on my bed, shoes kicked off, wrapped in the blanket watching the weather man on the television tell us that the rain isn't going to be stopping any time soon. It looks like we will be staying in today.

I watch her with rapt attention as her eyes dance along with the television. My eyes cover with a dream-like haze as I think back over the last several days.

~Flashback~

Every day of the last week and a half, Bella was my unofficial tour guide of Galway. The city was fun and the countryside was beyond beautiful. Window shopping and boutique browsing was more entertaining that I would have thought. And the flourishing greenery reminded me of Washington State, where Emmett and I went to college.

On day eight Bella took me deeper into the countryside. She said that she wanted to show me what everyone expected to see when they visited Ireland. Truth be told, I couldn't care less about any of the sights, unless Bella was by my side.

The countryside was beautiful with Bella as my guide. The path we walked was remote and the houses were few and far between. The lush hillsides were lined with rickety fences and dotted with sheep. I had taken to holding her hand a few days before and, although she was a bit shy at first, she didn't seem to object.

We had only walked about a mile when we heard a noise coming from behind us. A black and white sheep dog had ambled his way onto the path and started to lazily bark at us. Bella grabbed my arm tightly and just about climbed up my back. I chuckled under my breath because she always acts so tough, but the little dog scared her to death.

"Oh shit!" she shrieked.

I turned and wrapped my arms around her protectively. She really didn't need it. The dog was actually wagging his tail and seemed pretty sweet, even while he was barking.

I buried my nose into her hair and snickered.

"I've got you."

She shook her head and buried her nose into my chest.

"Bella, look he's friendly. He's wagging his tail. See? He's even stopped barking. We just surprised him is all," I reassured her.

She squeezed me tighter and it made me laugh. Her imploring brown eyes looked up at me and I lost it. I was in a full-on gut filled laugh. She shimmied out of my hold and smacked me on the chest, still careful to stay somewhat behind me.

"Edward! It's not funny. He could be rabid or…or…or worse," her voice squeaked higher as her sentence came to a close.

I looked around and the dog has disappeared somewhere over the hill. He was no longer bothered by us.

"I'm sorry, Bella. It was just… I'm sorry. Forgive me?" I held my arms out for her and she shyly walked back into my embrace. Her body was slightly shaking and it made me feel bad.

I reached my finger under her chin and brought her eyes to meet mine. They were swimming with unshed tears and it broke my heart.

"Oh, Bella, I'm sorry. He's gone. Are you afraid of dogs?"

She nodded her head and a tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" I took her face in my hands and gently wiped her tear away with my thumb. She sighed, nodded her head and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again they were rimmed in red but shined with something new. I couldn't place it. Her gaze moved from my eyes to my lips, my tongue slipped out to wet them unconsciously. She met my eyes again and stepped closer to me, placing her hands on my chest.

"Edward?"

She stepped closer still, her eyes still trained on mine.

With one last movement I closed the space between us. My eyes fluttered shut as her lips met my own in a soft, chaste kiss. Once. Twice. The third time our lips met our connection was unbreakable – physically and emotionally. I wanted nothing more in that moment than Bella…forever. I refused to think about what would happen when I left Ireland and started my life back home. I would push it back and not think about it. Not until I absolutely had to. I would enjoy my time with Bella, no matter how hard it would be to leave her.

I instinctively took her bottom lip between my own before her tongue reached out to meet mine. My stomach flip-flopped at the searing union. My hands instinctively caressed her beautiful face, keeping her close.

~End Flashback~

The two weeks that I had intended to stay in Galway are coming to a close. I am unable to bring myself to leave. Nor am I able to tell Bella that I am technically scheduled to leave for Dublin in a few days.

After many days of long walks, hand holding and stolen kisses I am determined to stay in Galway until the very last moment. I can't bring myself to leave Bella yet. I know I have responsibilities back in the states with my father and his..._our_ practice but I don't want to leave Bella. But I know I will have to soon enough.

I will use every bit of extra time I have in Ireland to be with her. In my mind, my trip to Dublin is canceled. I will speak to the concierge to see if I can book my room for another two weeks.

I have no idea what her plans are, now that she has finished school. We apparently have an unspoken agreement to not talk about the future. Bella and I both know that I will have to leave eventually.

Sooner or later I will have to tell her that my trip is almost over.

Not today.

Our...whatever this is...is slowly progressing. I have recently taken to kissing her whenever I want. I'm really enjoying that.

The dream-like haze drifts away as my hotel room and Bella come back into focus. The profile of her face is beautiful as I see the blush start at her neck and creep up to meet her cheek and even her ear, the tip flaming red. She knows I'm watching her. I was probably staring at her longer than what is socially acceptable because she turns slightly, cutting her eyes in my direction before asking, "What?"

"Nothing," I reply.

My voice sounds husky, even in my own ears. She turns fully to look at me. Her soulful eyes draw me deeper, pulling me in with magnetic force. I'm drawn in and can't stop my movements, even if my life depended on it. With our eyes locked I lean in to kiss her. Her lips are soft and I love the way she tastes. Our soft, slow, sensual kiss becomes more heated as I pull Bella tight against my chest and she grabs fists full of my hair.

While not losing our connection, I roll onto my back bringing Bella to rest comfortably on top of me. She turns her head to deepen our kiss pulling a low moan from my chest. Her fingers tighten in my hair and I'm lost in the depths of the essence that is Bella. Her body pressed against me, her fingers in my hair and her lips searing against mine – I want it all…always.

Ever so slowly my hands begin to roam, first down her arms and then along her back. When I reach her ass I tighten my grip and can't help but press her against my hard erection. He has long since sprung to life and is waiting – not so patiently – to feel some type of friction. I know she can feel him because her breathing hikes before she moves to spread her legs and straddle my hips.

I'm enjoying the friction and the heat from her pussy pressed tightly against my jean encased cock just as her cell phone starts to ring.

_Bastard._

This is the closest we've gotten to any type of…intimacy and her damned cell phone is ringing.

She groans and tries to pull away. I grab her hips and mumble across her lips, "Ignore it." I shift and pull her tighter against my straining cock.

The loud sigh that escapes her lips fills the room. "I can't. If it's my dad, he'll be pissed that I didn't answer. I'm sorry."

She presses her lips against mine once more before getting up to answer the annoying piece of…technology. She takes the call and it's not her father, it's her friend Rosalie.

With a remorse-filled face she mouths the word "sorry". I nod my head and shrug my shoulders to tell her it's alright.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly happy about it, but what else can I do?

Once she's finally off the phone, my hormones are in check but are pissed off, sitting on the sidelines with arms crossed and brows furrowed.

"Sorry about that. She had some drama with her ex. He's a total arse-hole and she had to tell me all about his latest attempt to win her back." She rolls her eyes, drawing her head around in the same direction.

"It's okay." I shrug my shoulders and chuckle at her.

"Since it's going to rain most of today, how about we head down to the pub," she suggests.

I agree immediately because it has quickly become my favorite place to go. We decide to grab a pint and some lunch before the bar gets too crowded.

I have become a "regular" at her favorite pub, Kitty O' Shea's. The owner, Liam, tends bar and has become quite amused with my American accent.

We pay the taxi driver and make a dash for the door. As we run in - doing our best to avoid the rain - we are greeted by Liam, Siobhan – his wife- and a few of the other regulars. Much like today, Siobhan is always our server when we want more privacy and choose to sit at one of the tables in a quiet corner. Not that the pub is very quiet, but we do have a bit more privacy there.

Bella seems to be quite well known around here - almost respected. Virtual strangers want to know how she's doing and want to be sure she tells her father they said hello. She takes it all in stride while I sit back a bit confused at the extraordinary attention she's given. She always brushes it off and brings the conversation back to whatever we were talking about before someone interrupted us.

~*MGG*~

We leave the pub an hour or so later to see that the rain has stopped, though the clouds still look ominous. Although the hotel is several blocks away we decide to walk.

It's our thing.

Because we have walked the city many times together, we grab one another's hands and start up the street to peruse the shop windows on the way. As we walk, we talk more of our childhoods, old friends, and silly families; just about everything...except what's to come. I want to continue to live in my fantasy have-Bella-with-me-all-the-time world, so I never broach the subject of the future. I know it's not the brightest idea, but we are still having a great time with each other and I don't want to bring down our sweet high.

Directly over-head a loud boom of thunder crashes. Bella's expression is priceless as she looks at me with the cutest 'oh great' look. We are halfway there when the rain comes down. It's torrential and unrelenting. She tightens her hold on my hand looking much like a drowned cat. We start to make a run for the hotel but she says her place is closer. So she asks me up to her flat downtown. I agree and we veer down a side street that she's never taken me. Within two minutes we're pushing through a door that I can only assume is her flat. She slams the door behind us as I lean down with my hands on my knees, catching my breath. We are completely soaked to the bone and standing in her tiled foyer making two very large puddles. Our eyes meet before laughter seizes us.

Her hair is matted to her head and face, dripping wet, her tee shirt is clinging to her pert breasts, nipples hard and standing tall and her jeans are three shades darker and rimmed with muddy water at the hem.

I'm sure that I look no better. I run my fingers through my drenched hair, feeling the excess water cascade down my back with the movement. I cringe and she laughs harder pointing at my head. I love to hear her laugh.

I quickly grab her around the waist and surprise her with a very wet, very deep kiss – silencing our laughter immediately. Her fingers grip my shoulders, holding me close. I reach up to her breast and she whimpers into my mouth. She shivers and I'm not sure if it's from my touch or from her wet clothes. I break our kiss and press our foreheads together, imploring with my eyes. My hands slide down her ribs and capture the hem of her clinging shirt. Her hands lift, granting me the permission that I so dearly want. I quickly lift her shirt and drop it with a wet thud on the floor. After that one piece of clothing, we are both scrambling to get the other undressed. My shirt is next and meets hers in the growing pile of wet clothes. Our shoes are toed off before our socks get lobed…somewhere. Her jeans are next and I want to be sure that we are doing this…whatever it may be. We've never gone this far and I need to be sure we're on the same page.

I place my hands on her hips and look into her eyes.

"Bella?" I ask and then kiss her sweetly.

She snakes her arms around my neck – lust glowing in her eyes - and nods her head in agreement.

We're doing this.

The next step is our blue jeans and they prove to be a little harder to remove. We peel and tug to get them off through more laughter. Wet denim is the devil's handiwork.

As we stand in the foyer covered only in our wet underwear I reach for her one last time, drawing her close. Her skin is chilled from the rain and wet clothes and she sighs in contentment against my body heat. I bend to kiss her and she places her hands around my shoulders. With our lips connected, I grasp her thighs and lift her to my height…her legs wrapped tight around my waist. Carefully I walk away from the enormous pile of wet clothes that lay in the puddle we left on the floor.

"Bedroom," I mumble against her soft lips.

"Second door on left," she replies, barely getting all the words out before our mouths join passionately.

Surprisingly I make my way to the door without tripping over furniture or my own two feet. We both reach for the door knob and manage to get it opened without missing a beat. We enter the room and I turn us around to close the door and press her against it, grinding my erection against her heat. Her mewling continues as I get some relief with the connection.

Breaking from her lips, I kiss a trail across her jaw to her ear. I kiss the sensitive skin below it and she moans as my nose breathes softly across her lobe. I lightly work my tongue around the shell of her ear before nipping the down column of her neck and then kissing away the bites. My cock is beyond ready and she can feel it.

"Uh, Edward, please…the bed." She lifts her left hand and points over my shoulder. I look behind me and see the massive bed that takes up much of the space. I take little time to admire the size or decor as I turn my head and return my lips to hers.

Pulling away from the door, we're moving again. Bella weighs so little I'm able to bring her to the center of the bed without needing to set her down first. She clings to me until her back rests softly in the center of the mattress, her legs open with mine settled between them. Her wet hair splays across several pillows and she couldn't look more beautiful.

The skies have darkened and mute the daylight.

I tenderly press my lips to her nose, the apples of her cheeks and then her lips. My hands have found purchase on her breasts and quickly move the wet material out of my way. Her nipples are hard and beg for my lips…I can refuse them no longer. As my tongue reaches out and contacts her chilled skin she arcs her back, pushing her nipples closer to me. She tastes of sweet vanilla and it's intoxicating.

Reaching around her back, I make quick work of the clasp on her bra. Once it's removed I have free reign of her chest. My hands gently caress her mounds and my mouth takes care to work her into oblivion. She's moaning and panting, her fingers working my damp hair.

Thunder rumbles in the distance, matching the growls coming from my chest.

My hands wander farther south and splay across her tight stomach. Fingers skim and dip into the hem of her silky panties. They move down boldly and caress her bare center. Her breathing halts as my fingers dip into her warm, wet heat. My lips release her nipple and our eyes meet. Hers are hungry. I can only guess that mine match her intensity. I move up to give her a searing kiss, still working her warm core with one, then two fingers. My thumb circles around her most sensitive spot, careful not to touch it immediately. Slowly the circles grow smaller and tighter before reaching her clit.

She moans deeply and moves her hips in time with my fingers. Up and down. Around and around. Her breathing is harsh and then stops altogether. She releases my lips and throws her head back in ecstasy. She's beautiful. Her eyes are screwed shut and her mouth agape, no air escaping. Her fingers dig into my shoulders but I feel no pain.

Her walls contract around my fingers and she finally gasps for air. Her words are garbled and unrecognizable.

As she comes down from her beautiful high I remove my thumb and slow my fingers. Her eyes open to mine and a lazy smile plays across her lips. Her face glows from her release. I cock my eyebrow and smirk at her. She grabs the back of my head and pulls me into another feverish kiss.

The rain plays a disjointed rhythm of the most beautiful symphony on the roof and windows panes.

I work her panties down her legs as her hands float down my back and around my waist. I pull back, only slightly to allow her access to my massive, covered, hard-on. She grips it firmly and cups my balls in the same move. I moan into her mouth and push my hips forward to add friction. She pumps me a few times and skims her thumb over the head before removing her hands completely. I groan at the loss but quickly realize that her fingers are removing my boxers. My cock springs free and stands proudly between us. She places her hands on my ass and pulls me toward her. Our mouths meet again and our breathing is loud.

Somewhere in the back of my mind an annoying little voice tells me I've forgotten something.

The head of my engorged cock slips across her wet lips, teasing her clit with every pass. I'm not even inside of her and it couldn't feel more amazing. I can't wait to be inside of her. I pull back and press against her opening, slipping easily into her center…head deep.

I gasp for air and open my eyes, lips still connected. The little voice is now screaming at me. _Condom!_

Mother fucker!

I pull back quickly…both my lips and my cock. She looks up at me surprised and then confused.

I press my hand to her cheek and utter the words we should have shared before.

"We need a condom."

Relief floods her eyes and she mirrors her hand to my face.

"Feck. Right…um…I don't have any. Do you?" she asks.

And mother fucking, damned it…I don't. I've traveled around the world to see the sights, not get laid. I got rid of the one condom in my wallet before I left home. Plus that fucker was at least six months old and the only reason it was there was because Emmett gave it to me. _"You should always carry a condom, Edward,"_ he said and fuck if he wasn't right.

I rest my forehead on her shoulder and I shake my head to answer her question.

"I could go and get some," she offers.

I lift my head and meet her eyes again. _ I_ do not want to leave this bed and I do not want _her_ leaving this bed. I know I'm clean; I had to be tested during school and again for my residency. There's been no one since – not for a long while. Not that I really needed to worry about it. I have always used a condom.

I pressed my hard-on against her pussy. "I don't want to leave this bed. Maybe if we just-"

Her fingers reach my lips and stop my words.

"Edward, I'm on the pill. And I've only been with one other. We were always careful."

Her eyes question mine, waiting for a response.

"I'm clean. I was tested recently," I answer. Her eyes widen a little. "For work. I was tested for work," I clarify.

She nods her head and lifts up to kiss me. Our lips release and she looks deep into my eyes. Then she says the thing I didn't even realize I needed to hear.

"I want you, Edward. Please. I don't think I can wait."

Our passion ignites and our lips connect. I pull my hips back and then press forward, sinking deep into her pussy on the first push. She's hot and unbelievably wet. I can feel her walls tighten around me the deeper I push. I stop when she's filled to the hilt and my pubic bone is pressed firmly against her clit. We both moan at the intense feeling.

I release our kiss and look into her hooded eyes. They shine with lust. I pull out of her slightly only to push back into her core, missing the full connection. Instead of pulling out anymore I opt to rock against her. It will make her feel amazing, but also help me control the orgasm that is creeping its way through my balls. Although there is little friction, the rocking motion allows the head of my cock to tap her G-spot perfectly. In less than a minute she's tightening around me and crying out my name. I stay deep - barely moving, only rocking - and let her body dictate the movements she needs. She shudders once more before going limp.

My tongue traces her lips and she opens to me. We kiss languidly, allowing her time to recover. It doesn't take long. She deepens our kiss and shifts her hips against mine. I rock against her once again before pulling out and pushing back to gain the friction I need. I push deeper…higher, hitting her just right. My body tightens and I can feel it coming.

"Bella. Bella, I'm cumming. Do you- do you want me to-"

Her hands tighten against my ass as her legs wrap around my own, answering my not-quite-out-there question.

With two more deep thrusts she's exploding below me and on thrust number three I'm gone. My mind soars with relief as my body continues to pump. I grunt and groan through my release until I can't move anymore.

My arms and legs are like jell-o as I attempt to embrace Bella below me without crushing her. I kiss her neck and below her ear, my breaths coming out hard and fast. She giggles at the sensation. I kiss her neck once more before finding her lips.

~*MGG*~

Our next week and a half progresses much the same. We meet early, have a pint with lunch, walk and talk a little bit and then fuck the rest of the day – but rarely into the night.

She never stays over when we are at my hotel and I never stay the night at her place. She always finds a reason to get up and get dressed when we are at her flat. She never asks me to leave, but I begin to wonder if she just doesn't like to actually sleep with someone because we never do. Not even a nap. Ever. It's weird but I won't ask her to change just for me. As of lately we've been hanging mostly at my hotel and when I ask about her place she usually finds a very sexy way to change the subject. It doesn't bother me until she's gone and then I wonder why we never go to her place anymore.

I ask, she kisses, we fuck, she leaves, I wonder. It's a vicious cycle.

We still haven't talked about my leaving, which is coming up too soon. She has no idea and I continue to choose to live in my Bella bubble and ignore anything outside of it – including my impending departure. Every time I talk myself into telling her, I pussy out.

Tonight.

I promise myself that I'll do it tonight.

She has every right to know that I'll be leaving in four days. I want to take her out somewhere nice to eat and then just…tell her.

I don't think she'll be mad.

I hope she won't be mad.

She seems pretty indifferent to our non-relationship when we are anywhere outside of our bedrooms. We never do anything more than hold hands. I wonder if it's because this isn't serious to her or if there is something else entirely. Although I never tell her, it hurts my feeling a little. I've tried to convince myself this is just a fling and her distance outside of the bedroom is for the best. I can't help but continue to fall deeper and deeper for her.

I'm falling in love with Bella.

I'll tell her that tonight too.

I'm scared to death. I have no idea how to tell her…or how she'll react.

Fuck.

I finish cleaning up my room and send my dirty clothes to be laundered one last time. I pack everything that I won't need for the next four days. I place my airline ticket in a pile on the night stand with my passport and other important paperwork. I go through it three times to be sure everything is in order before shoving it into the drawer. I make a mental note to remember that I've placed it there.

~*MGG*~

Dinner turns out better than I would have thought. Bella chooses a restaurant that is quiet and romantic and we share a bottle of wine with dinner. Our conversation is light and – as usual – we don't delve into the future. We either stick with the past or stay in the present.

It's a very interesting line we've drawn.

Hell, now that I think of it…I don't even know her last name and she doesn't know mine. We've long since exchanged phone numbers but that's it. When I leave Ireland that will be the only contact I have with her. I'm getting nervous.

And I still haven't told her yet.

Later. I'll tell her later tonight.

We make our way to my hotel, as per usual, and we are both more anxious that normal. As soon as we hit the elevator our bodies are connected and only part long enough to allow an elderly couple to enter and exit a floor later. We stumble to my room and barely get the door closed before we're tearing at each other's clothes.

As soon as we're undressed I lift her by her thighs and sink deep into her heat. I fuck her against the wall until we are both screaming and cumming.

I'm sure we're a sight – we're still connected, piled on the floor with our clothes scattered about. Our hair is completely mussed, I still have a sock on and Bella's make-up in smeared across her eyes. There's nothing left to do but laugh at the situation.

Once we make it to bed we make love until our bodies are too tired to move. For once I wrap my arms around Bella as she's fallen asleep. I relish the feeling of my body wrapped around her sleeping form. I feel protective of her. I don't want to let her go. And I still haven't told her.

Tomorrow. I'll tell her tomorrow morning.

~*MGG*~

The next morning comes and a smile creeps on my face as I think about the previous night. Bella stayed. I lazily search the bed with my hands, keeping my eyes closed. I'm still not fully awake.

My heart rate picks up before my eyes are even opened. Where is she? When I wake up I am all alone. She's gone. Damned it!

I jump out of bed and dress in a hurry, barely brushing the toothbrush along my teeth before running out the door. I take a cab to her flat, because it will be faster. When I get there I have no idea what I'm going to say…or do.

Am I mad?

Fuck yeah I'm mad!

I wanted to tell her this morning.

Would it matter?

I knock on her door and no one answers. I knock harder, thinking she may be asleep though it's already nine in the morning – the time we usually meet. Still no answer. I start to pound the door with my fist and yell for her.

"Bella! Bella come on, answer the damned door."

Still no answer.

I move to look in the windows but the blinds are drawn and I can't see shit. I go back to the door and pull out my cell phone. I ring her several times and the generic voicemail picks up every time.

Fuck!

It's too early go see if Liam knows where else I can find her so I opt to go back to the hotel. Maybe she just stepped out?

When I get back to the room I notice more about the space than when I ran out in a frenzy earlier. The drawer is open on the night stand and my pile of papers is sitting on top. I am very certain I placed it in the drawer last night. Not to hide it necessarily…but…well, yeah, maybe.

What's it doing out? I didn't take it out.

My eyes widen and my heart drops to my stomach.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no, no."

I scramble my way over and lift the pile. A note is placed atop the pile, written on hotel stationary.

_Dear Edward,_

_I opened the drawer to find some paper so I could write you a note to tell you I couldn't sleep and needed to get home. I found these papers on top of the stationary. I don't want you to forget them when you leave in a few days. _

_I hope you have a safe flight home, back to Washington. It's nice to finally know where you live and when you'll be leaving._

_I've enjoyed our time together and don't regret one second. Though I do wish you would have told me when you planned on leaving. I have to tell you that it hurts a little to know you didn't trust me enough to tell me – that I had to find out this way…by accident._

_But we both have secrets that we didn't share, don't we Edward?_

_Please don't look for me. You won't find me. Its best we part this way, I think. No drawn out goodbyes and no hurt feelings. We are from two different worlds and it could never work._

_Anyway, have a great life and thank you for spending your free time here with me. I hope you enjoyed what little bit of Ireland I was able to show you._

_Sincerely,_  
_Bella_

So now I stand here with nothing but a broken heart and a ticket home.

I didn't tell her. I didn't tell her and she doesn't know I'm in love with her.

_Don't look for her._ Is she crazy?

Fuck it. I'm going to the pub and will wait until they open the doors if I have to.

~*MGG*~

Mother fucker!

Liam hasn't seen or heard from her since we were both here together. I jot a quick note down on a napkin and ask him to pass it to Bella if he sees her. He gives me a sad smile and tucks it into his apron. His eyes tell me that he knows more than he's letting on. But I trust him when he says he'll give Bella the note.

I leave Ireland in three days and I've lost my heart to a Galway girl

~*MGG*~

The next two days I wander back and forth between the hotel, Bella's flat and the pub. Neither Liam, nor any of the regulars have seen her. I know they're not lying to me because I can see the pity in their eyes.

I clear out my room and head to my grandparent's house. I leave for Dublin today and fly back to the United States in the morning. My original plan was to visit some old college friends in Washington before finally going back to Chicago to start working with my father. I decide to rearrange my flight and go directly home. I can't stand the thought of partying with my old friends when my heart is broken.

I can't.

I just…can't.

I say my goodbyes to my grandmother and she packs a bag full of my favorite cookies. I have no appetite but can't bring myself to tell her. I smile the broadest smile I can muster and thank her.

My grandfather and I are mostly quiet on the two and a half hour journey to Dublin. He starts to drop me at the hotel I need for the night but I ask him if he wants to come in for a drink. I'm not that interested in having company but it was a long drive and I feel bad that he's just going to turn around to go back.

"Edward me lad, I think you need some time to yourself. I'm glad you enjoyed your time in Ireland and please don't be a stranger. You come back and see your Granny and I any time. Don't worry Edward, it will all work out."

It doesn't take a genius to see how hard he's trying to not talk about Bella. The ache I've tried to hide for the last several days must be plain on my face because everyone has tip-toed around me. Even my grandparents.

The night goes by in a blur and before I know it I'm on a twenty-one hour flight back to the states. I'm fairly sure I remember my ticket showing it was only going to take seventeen to get to Washington – so I'm sure the flight to Chicago should have been shorter. But I care so little that I just move on auto-pilot, sitting in my first class chair…falling apart. I refused to cry while in Ireland. I was determined to find Bella and straighten it all out.

But I couldn't …and I didn't.

So the minute we are over the ocean I lay my head in my hands and cry. I cry until I fall asleep. I'm sure the person next to me thought I was a loon. I don't think I could care less.

~*MGG*~

~THREE MONTHS LATER~

"Dr. Cullen, you have a new patient in room eleven. She's here for the typical tests. Something about starting a new job. Her chart is hanging on the door."

"Thank you," I reply to our receptionist, Heidi. She's a bit of a flirt but mostly harmless.

She knows I'm not interested.

I prefer brunettes.

I make my way to the next patient and my thoughts drift back to Bella as I see the name on the chart, Isabella Swan.

How apropos.

I've tried to forget about her every day for the last three months and everything…. _everything_ reminds me of her – including a new patient apparently.

I shake off the sadness and read the chart in front of me before I make my way inside. I like to be up-to-speed with my patients before I enter their room.

This girl will be starting to work somewhere in the city and needs her blood worked up before they will hire her. It's not uncommon these days and I don't mind the extra work.

I turn the knob and smell a faint scent of vanilla as the door cracks open. My heart picks up and I can't make it stop.

It's not.

It can't be.

No, it's not.

Stupid…stupid…stupid.

There's no way.

I let my heartbeat slow back down before I bother opening the door completely. I can't let my patients see me as anything other than professional. This girl must use the same perfume Bella does…did…does. Fuck. I don't know.

Professional. You're a professional.

I push the door open and close it behind me. I start to speak while still looking down at the chart in my hands.

"So, Isabella, you're here today for some blood-work?"

I hear what sounds like someone's breathing hike. It sounds like Bella.

I'm delusional.

I look up from the chart and see none other than…Bella…sitting on the paper covered bench…waiting for her doctor.

I'm stunned.

I can't move.

My muscles have seized and I can't move. The sound of her chart clacking on the floor shocks me enough to cause me to move ever so slightly. I blink several times to clear my head.

It can't be.

She whispers with tear filled eyes, "Edward."

"Bella?"

She nods her head and her tears spill over, running down her cheeks. I cautiously approach her as she hops down from the bench.

The next several seconds speed by in a blur. Her arms wrap around my neck, legs around my waist. My hands capture her hips to steady her. Our lips connect and words will not do.

Fuck being a professional. I've got Bella back in my arms – in the United States – and I want nothing…_nothing_ more.

Our kiss lasts for several minutes before we both calm down.

It's time to tell her. It's time to tell her what I should have told her months and months ago.

Our kiss breaks and I rest my forehead against hers.

It's now or never.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I should have told you when we first met when I planned on leaving Ireland. I should have told you more about me. About where I lived and my future with my father's practice. Fuck, I should have told you my last name."

"I should have told you how beautiful you were." I kiss her lips lightly and pull back. "How beautiful you _are_," I whisper.

I look deep into her shining eyes and tell her the one thing I should have said above all else.

"I should have told you that I loved you. That I still do love you, Bella. I love you."

Our lips spark with a heated kiss and her arms tighten around my neck. When she pulls back I realize my eyes are stinging with tears. Her tears pour down her face and land softly between us.

"I'm sorry too, Edward. I love you. Always."

~*MGG*~

I've traveled around, I've been all over this world, to only lose my heart to a small town girl from Galway.

Well, my Galway girl is here with me now and I intend for it to stay that way.

We can be lost, together.

**~!~*~!*~~!~*~!*~~!~*~!*~~!~*~!*~~!~*~!*~**

**AN: Wanna know Bella's secret? I know you do! Vote and review please! Also, I'm considering a BPOV to answer some questions. Maybe…maybe not.**

**Special Love: Thanks so much to Mandy for hosting this one-shot soundtrack contest. When I was given **_**Galway Girl**_** from the movie **_**PS I Love You**_** as my song assignment I was a little scared. She told me how much she loved the song and the movie in which it was featured. I had never heard the song, nor seen the movie. To say I felt behind the curve is a great understatement. I wanted to do it justice, so I played the song a zillion times and watched what I could of the movie online. A plot started to form and here we are. Thanks Mandy for your encouragement too.**

**Props: Gotta give lots o' love to my two wonderful betas for all their hard work! They fix my stupid mistakes and offer the best advice! Plus, you'd probably never read my stories without their help! **  
***batgirl8968 www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1903451/Batgirl8968**  
***LouderThanSirens www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1974746/LouderThanSirens**

**Props: Ridiculous love goes out to my pre-reader Bee aka IrishTwiFicster www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2075059/IrishTwiFicster !GO READ HER STORIES! Her ideas and changes made this story real and believable. **_**You can't have an Irishman speaking American-English! It's just not right! **_**Plus, the ending would have been much different without her wonderful help. Thanks so much, Bee!**


	6. How Will I Know

**Please make sure you read all 11 entries before casting your vote. **

* * *

ONE SHOT CONTEST

HOW WILL I KNOW

BY LILYD09

RATING: PROBABLY K+

_How can you hear the notes that where never played?_

_How can you long for the sun that has never risen?_

_How can you feel the warmth of the body you never touched?_

_How can you still see the face of who you never knew?_

_How can you miss someone you never met?_

The clouds where gray, not the normal shade, the sky seemed angry for any unknown reason and that made my way back home scary.

Will I get hit by a lightning?

Are my clothes going to get wet?

And the most important question of them all…are my shoes going to get all muddy and disgusting?

I couldn't stand it, it would be horrendous, a disaster! Don't get me wrong, I was not one of those stupid blonde bimbos who would die to get a dress that was ridiculously expensive and ridiculously horrible just because they had a "famous" name written on the tag.

No. I loved shopping, but due to my current economical state every penny I earned from my ridiculously underpaid job had to be spent wisely. I was able to pick just the right thing that made me look amazing without exceeding on my budget. I could pull it out in any outfit, and this is not me being cocky, I know my talent, I was born to be a fashion designer, to be ridiculously overpaid for my designs and to be the most successful woman on earth.

Yeah, that's me Alice Brandon.

Frustrated Fashionista, Struggling to follow my dream, living in a crappy situation, and oh yeah, how could I have forgotten, I work in a freaking coffee shop to afford design school.

A cold wind cut me off my internal complains and made me shudder as a thick drop of rain landed on my forehead.

_Uh-Oh that can't possibly be good._

I quickly searched for a place where I could hide from the inevitable storm that was about to fall.  
UGH! RAIN! Freaking terrible! Rain did not only got my clothes wet, it also made my hair look horribly frizzed and God knows how much I hate that, the second more than the first.

I found a tiny space behind a tall building, where there was kind of a splashboard just the second when the storm hit the floor. I tried to make myself smaller just to fit behind it without getting a single drop of water in my outfit.

I was starting to get a little uncomfortable in that tiny space when it had been about ten minutes and the storm was nowhere near to taking off. I sighed as I stared at other people running and trying to find another available space just like mine or people in their cars struggling to get to see something behind the thick layer of non-stopping flowing water that ran through their windshields. As I was staring at the view something caught my eye. A man in a black expensive looking car, who was apparently fighting with his radio shouting at it or something just as he almost hits another car, I could clearly see him curse at the situation in the moment he made a maneuver to avoid the collision, it was just fun.

His hair was blonde and in a wild mess, his face looked tough but at the same time innocent as a cherub's, his eyes where apparently a soft shade of blue. He seemed warm, even as mad as he was, and all of the sudden, too soon, he was gone, and I followed him with my eyes as until I could no longer see him.

I felt my heart beat a little faster as I thought of the man just that caught my eyes for about ten seconds and that I would probably never see again, it was a strange feeling and I couldn't understand it at all.

All of the sudden my vision started to get a little blurry and I felt as if I was about to faint. Everything was spinning and I couldn't make it stop, I closed my eyes and rubbed circles in my temples as I tried to get rid of the small headache I was getting.

A few seconds passed, maybe even a minute or two, as I slowly dared to open my eyes again. It was still raining and my heels where killing me, this storm better stop soon or I sure will … I will… I will nothing, what the heck can I do against a storm? "Stupid storm!"

As soon as those words left my lips, a shockingly strong wind hit me, taking with it my favorite red cashmere scarf.

"No you didn't!" I said as I ran following my scarf for a few blocks where the wind carried it. It finally came to a stop in the middle of the street and a stupid car ran through it.

A tear came out if my eyes as I stayed there in shock, staring at it, my most prized possession, my baby, the love of my life. I fell to the sidewalk and just let the rain drench me, sure, you already ruined my favorite scarf, what difference does it make if you go all the way with all my outfit? I argued with the sky.

As I stood there in shock, I felt the cold finally hit me and I came back from limbo. I didn't need to catch a cold, there's nothing I could do now, I told myself as I walked to a small coffee shop on the corner of the street.

The competition, but it will have to do, I'm sure my boss will understand that I'm actually not allying with the enemy, just using them, haha!

As soon as the door opened I welcomed the heat back into my body, I searched the room for a place to sit but they were all taken and people would just stare at me as if I had rabies or something just because my clothes where a little wet.

Well a _little wet_ was an understatement but still, there are no gentlemen around anymore, and they just looked away as if they didn't even notice I was _STANDING _there. A-holes!

I was so frustrated that I just leaned on the wall just glaring at anyone who dared to stare at me as if I had just came out from a circus show or something. It was a very entertaining thing to do, but I realized that the rain had just stopped: time to finally get home; I really really need some rest!

I yanked the door open in an attempt to get away as soon as I could but something blocked my exit. Just as I was about to go out, I hit something, hard, like a wall, what the hell?

I focused my eyes on what was in front of me, I could see a button, wait what? I looked up and found a warm smile directed to me.

"Are you ok sweetheart?" A very appealing southern voice asked me. I looked higher and those blue eyes were staring at me, he was talking to me.

React you silly! "Uhm. Yeah, thanks" I said feeling a little clumsy all of the sudden.

"You don't actually look so good miss, where were you going that you practically ran away anyways?" He asked and I actually almost melt when he sounded so concerned.

"I was just trying to get away from here, people around are just so rude."

He laughed at my comment and I felt embarrassed, he's people, he's around, and I think I just called him rude, what's going on with my brain? I'm like so confused!

_Apologize you dumbass!_

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that, well I did, but I didn't mean you, you're kind of nice, not that I know you at all, but I'm sure you are… I mean... Hmm..." _OH MY GOD! I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING EVEN HALF COHERENT! _"Ugh, I didn't even make sense, sorry"

He chuckled as I just felt my cheeks get heated with my embarrassment.

"Don't worry sweetheart, why don't you just join me for a cup of coffee though, you sure look like you need a hot cup of coffee, you're all wet and getting out there in this condition will probably make you catch a cold." He was so thoughtful!

"Ok, thank you, but I don't think there are any tables available though."

"Don't worry, I'll work something out"

"Kay, but I really don't think…" he cut me off.

"Shh… just watch and learn." He whispered.

"Sure, I guess it's worth the try, but don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Just stop questioning my technique!" He exclaimed a little desperate, maybe I was being a little annoying.

Maybe. Just a little.

He started walking towards one of the waitress'; he started talking to her, flirting, huh, men! They always think they can fool us with a little flirt here and there. Then he asked her something and I could clearly see the girl mouthing an 'I'm sorry'. I didn't want to say "I told you so" but I really told him so. The girl started walking away but he just called her back and said something else to which the girl just blushed in embarrassment as she took a long look at him, up and down, up and down… Just take a picture! It'll last longer bitch!

The guy cleared his throat and ran his hand through the blonde mess he called hair, looking slightly frustrated, huh, for a second I thought he seemed familiar.

The girl clearly got the point and looked away apologizing again, she turned signaling him to follow, he turned and signaled me to also follow.

No freaking way, he got us a table!

I quickly caught up with him as the waitress showed us to a table I was about to sit but hesitated when I remembered I was all wet, they would probably want to charge me for a new chair if I screwed this one up.

"What's wrong Mrs. Whitlock? Is there any trouble with the chair? How can I help you?"

Oookay, in which dimension did I just enter? The guy looked at me with questioning eyes.

"Uhm, it's just that my clothes are wet, I could mess up the chair."

"Nonsense, you're almost dry and I don't think they'll mind the chair getting a little wet." He said as he gestured me to sit.

"Yes Miss, please don't worry about it, I'll take care of everything." The waitress was just talking to me as if I was the Queen of England or something after she had been scowling at me when I came in.

"Okay, thanks" I slowly sat down, perhaps my face had a strange look, but hey, this whole situation was getting weirder by the second.

"May I take your orders or do you want me to give you a few minutes?"

"No, it's okay; I'll just have a latte, please"

"How about you Mr. Whitlock?

"I'll have the same" he said as the girl smiled and walked away.

"So… Mrs. Whitlock huh?" Oh my God, did I just say that? I'm such an idiot!

"Oh. I'm sorry about that, I just didn't find it worthy enough to correct her, it's no big deal." He hesitated "Although, I apologize if you feel somewhat offended."

Yeah, I'm officially an a-hole!

"No, no, that's not what I meant, I just, well, I was trying to imply that I'm being called by your surname and I don't even know your name." I said trying to somewhat fix it.

"Oh. Sorry, I'm Jasper Whitlock" He smiled warmly at me.

"I'm Alice Brandon, very nice to meet you Mr. Whitlock." I tried to smile back at him but he was just bedazzling me. I felt like a fourteen-year old talking to her crush.

"The pleasure is all mines Alice, and Please call me Jasper"

I almost sighed as I heard my name come out of his sexy mouth and his heart-stopping voice.

"Okay, Jazz" I said, determined to watch his reaction.

He just chuckled "Or that would be just fine too"

The waitress Irina just then appeared with our lattes, interrupting our entertaining talk.

"Here you go, call me if you need anything else; I'm at your service" As she was saying that she was leaning way too much into Jasper's direction. Beeyatch, and she thought we where Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock.

_Alice! Get a Grip! You've known this man for five minutes!_

Shoot, this is weird, why I'm I feeling like this towards a man I just met?

When she left we talked a bit more. Small talk. After a long time, we were already done with our drinks but we just kept talking and talking to the point that we couldn't stop laughing at each other's life anecdotes.

When we finally got to stop laughing my eyes traveled around the whole place, it was empty. "Holy mother of God! What time is it?" I asked seeing that the sky outside was dark and it was no longer raining.

Jasper just shrugged as he saw his watch. "Seven Forty five."

"Oh God, this place closes at six thirty, why are we still here?"

"Relax, they're doing me a favor."

"Relax? I mean, poor people, they work hard enough already and now they have to stay later because of us?" I asked a little preoccupied that they would somewhat get mad at us.

"You leaving already?" He asked as he saw me rising from my chair.

"Sure, let's give this people a break before they _give us a break_" I said sounding concerned.

He just laughed "Sure, I guess we'll catch up later"

I don't know why, but being apart from this man didn't sound as an interesting option. _I guess it's because I like him, I mean we have a lot in common._

"Why don't we have a little walk…? I mean… If you want to" I said trying to prolong our time together.

"Sure" He said as a smile played on the corner of his lips.

We picked our stuff and after he insisted on paying for my latte and wining the argument, we went for a walk. Seattle was not a city known for its beauty, there were always clouds threatening with rain, and everything was just hidden behind them, but tonight, after the storm, the sky was clear and you could see thousands of stars playing around in the dark blue almost black playground that was the sky.

We walked in silence for a while, not sure if breaking the silence would be as good as enjoying the comfortable silence as well.

In some point of the walk he stepped closer to me and took my hand in his. I felt a sort of tingle run through my body. Strange emotions this man made me feel.

I glanced at my phone's time, when I saw the time I internally growled, it was later than I thought. I had to go, I had to fill in with my everyday routine, which practically forced me to go home and get some rest before I had to wake up and do the same thing I did every other single day.

"So, it's getting kind of late." I said reluctantly. I didn't want to make this moment go.

"Yeah, I figured so, but I didn't want to face the fact." He said as he smiled sadly.

I looked into his eyes and found myself drowning in their depth. They were filled with so much emotion, maybe just as much as my own, he didn't want to let go either.

_Do you believe in love at first sight?_

He slowly raised his hand until his fingers where mere millimeters away from my face. He looked at me as if he was asking for permission. I just closed my eyes, letting him know that it would be alright.

He cupped my face in his hands as he leaned forward. _He is going to kiss me._ I felt my heart flutter at that thought. I felt him come closer and closer until I felt his breath on my face, so sweet. I closed my eyes tighter in anticipation just as I felt that his lips were about to collide with mine.

Suddenly a gush of wind hit me and I couldn't feel his hands on my face anymore, I couldn't feel his breath, and I couldn't feel his warmth anymore.

Confused, I opened my mind and was surprised to find… Nothing.

I was by myself, leaning against a wall behind a splashboard and a lot of rain falling down, I was running my fingers against my temples and I had a small headache.

_I was dreaming. I was Hallucinating. I'm probably crazy._

As those words ran through my mind, I could feel the air rush away from me. I couldn't breathe properly, and my heart was beating so fast that it felt like it hurt.

A few tears trailed down my cheeks as I realized that I had just been imagining everything, nothing had been real. I tried to look for my scarf, but I couldn't find it, I wasn't even wearing it.

_Probably it really flew away with the wind._

I looked down to my feet, wondering why my heels weren't killing me anymore; when I found out I was wearing flats.

_My mind's playing tricks on me._

The rain slowly started to come to a stop, but I couldn't find it in me to care, I just felt as if I was missing a part of myself.

I walked back to my apartment to find my dog chewing on one of my favorite pair of shoes, but I couldn't find it in me to care either, I just needed some rest, my mind felt so damn exhausted.

_Yeah, exhausted from playing with my sanity._

I cursed as I fell into bed not bothering to even change my clothes. I fell asleep almost instantly.

The rest of the week passed almost in the same routine. School, part-time job, home, feel crappy about myself, sleep.

On Friday morning, I walked over to my closet and chose an outfit as mechanically as the days before and I laid it on my bed. I took a long shower as I saw that I had plenty of time, but when I came out I was actually running late, and when I came into my room, little fluffy had managed to get on my bed and attacking my clothes, there was a chewed shoe lying across the room and my white button down shirt was lying in shreds while the pants where still on her mouth.

"Fluffy! What the hell?" I yelled at her in frustration.

I had so little time to get ready that I skipped the lecture and went straight to the closet to throw anything on that seemed like proper clothing. I don't know how I managed but in ten minutes I was leaving for school already, this was my last semester and I couldn't afford getting a minute late, not even consider missing a class.

When the day was finally over and I was walking back home, I felt soft drops of rain fall, so I quickly managed to get to the same spot under the building I had found days before that was as good as a shelter.

When I walked over I had some sort of sense of déjà vu, but I didn't think about it much as I was trying to escape from the rain. I pressed myself against the wall once again and stared at the view, everyone was starting to run as the rain's intensity rose.

I was lost deeply in thought as I saw something that caught my eye. A man in a black expensive looking car, who was apparently fighting with his radio shouting at it or something just as he almost hits another car, I saw him curse at the situation as he made a maneuver to avoid the collision, and I just chuckled.

He looked familiar, where had I seen him before?

I tried to force my brain to remember, but I came out blank.

_Déjà vu._

Jasper Whitlock.

Realization hit me. _HE'S THE ONE I DREAMT OF._

Was this really happening?

Had it been a dream?

Then my scarf went flying with the air.

I saw this coming. I felt this happening before. _My heels were killing me._ Had I been dreaming? _No, I had I vision._

He's real.

I ran, I didn't care if I got wet, or if my outfit got ruined, or if my favorite scarf was now just shreds. I ran towards the small coffee shop.

I found a place by the door, where I could see everyone and only a few could see me; there was a big plant by my side.

_I hope he's real, I hope he shows up._

I waited there for about half an hour. Nothing, he wasn't there. I was about to give up when the door opened once again revealing messy blonde curls and a tall man with big blue eyes.

He looked around the place as if he was looking for something.

I stepped behind him. "Looking for someone" I asked.

He didn't look my way. "Hum, no I just felt like I had to come here or something, I don't know it was actually a weird feeling."

I just chuckled

He sighed desperate. "Ugh! I don't know why I'm telling you this! You're a stranger."

I smiled, he still didn't look my way. "Because you'll love me someday" I said with a knowing tone. I knew this was pushing little too much, but I couldn't help it.

He turned around as to glare at me for being so nosy, but his eyes softened as he stared deeply into my eyes. He smiled. "And you are?"

"Alice Brandon" I replied with a shrug. "Nice to meet you mister Whitlock" I winked at him.

"How do you, why do you… what?..." He tried to ask, but no coherent words came out.

I laughed. "You'll see, I too, felt the strange pull to come here, for unknown reasons"

"Yeah me too…" He said. Still incoherent. He couldn't form any phrases.

"Oookayy" I said, a little confused by his attitude. He seemed like he was in charge in my vision and now he's just, _there._

"Now what?" He asked after a few minutes of just staring at me with that confused look on his face.

"Now what?" I repeated his words sarcastically.

He nodded.

"Now you kiss me silly" I said as I smiled, hopefully he didn't think I was crazy.

"You have no idea how much I was wishing that that was your reply" He murmured as he came closer to me and our hearts went into an uncontrolled marathon of un-normal beating. _Yeah, I could hear his too._

He leaned even closer and closed the distance between us. His lips gently touched mine as he kissed me in a very romantic movie kind of way and slowly deepened the kiss until it was pure passion.

_HE TOOK ME TO THE CLOUDS ABOVE. _

He slowly pulled away.

"Well the hello, future Mrs. Whitlock" he said with a grin on his face.

"You know, you're gonna be stuck with me for a long long time dear" I said teasingly.

"Good" He sighed as he touched my forehead with his, leaving the whole world out of our little bubble.

_Do I believe in love at first sight?_

_Of course I do._


	7. Kiss the Rain

**Please remember to read all 11 entries before voting : )**

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**Author: RCDAlice**

**Lyrics used: 'Is it lonely where you are' and 'If you only knew what I'm left imagining here'**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All rights are reserved to Stephenie Meyer.**

**A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read this story. It goes off the path from what I'm used to. The song I was given was 'Kiss the Rain' by Billie Myers, and somehow this was the picture it painted. There is an E/B vid to the song on youtube if you care to see it!**

**Thanks to my pre-readers and betas TwistedInMasen, Cullen_sistah, ForksPixie and TwittahMom (Kiva). Thanks guys!**

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The rain was coming down in sheets, much like it always did in this area of Washington State. Seattle was wet, cloudy and three hours from home.

Edward touched the glass of the window and smiled. _She loved the rain_, he thought to himself, and then reprimanded himself for thinking of her in the past tense. She'd moved on, not died. He wished he could see her right at that moment. She would be standing out there in the pouring rain, arms spread wide and laughing at the beauty of Mother Nature.

Then he remembered that he was the one that had made the mistake and he had to fix it if he wanted her to come back to him.

Edward picked up the phone that sat on the table next to the bed and dialed that forever familiar number. He let out a deep sigh when her voice rang out and pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about what to say to her this time.

"Hi, you've reached Bella. I can't come to the phone right now-," she sounded happy - that's what mattered. Right? "She's indisposed right now!" He heard a male voice call out and laugh. Anger flared deep inside him as it always did when he heard the man that was able to be near her and make her laugh. "Shut up, baby. Anyways, leave a message and I'll call you right back!" she ended joyfully, followed by a loud, harsh beep.

She called him baby. This nameless, faceless man was now beholden to the nickname she had once reserved only for Edward.

She sounded so happy. So much so, that he refused to feel any anger towards her. He'd store that away for her gentleman friend if and when he ever got his hands on him.  
Most importantly, Bella never, ever returned his phone calls.

He remembered back to maybe two weeks ago when the message was very different and he sighed. She had cut him out completely now.

"Hey 'Little bo Bella'," he started with and sadly smiled at the use of his favorite nickname for her, thinking of the time it came around. "I miss you. Is it lonely where you are? Is it raining there too? I hope so. I know how much you love the rain. Remember to kiss it for me, will you?"

He moved back to the window in the moving chair he now resided in; his 'legs on wheels' he called them, and stared out at the droplets creating mesmerizing patterns on the glass. He imagined her walking through his door, telling him she made a mistake, telling him that it was okay and that everybody makes mistakes. It never happened. The pause while he was thinking out his words carefully was longer than he expected and he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, the one that wasn't holding his lifeline to his ear.

"They tell me I'm crazy, baby. That I should stop holding out because you won't come back to me. They don't know shit," he scoffed angrily and then took a couple of deep breaths to get his temper in check. Lashing out would get him nowhere - this he knew. "Bella, just pick up the phone. Just once. I just need to hear your voice and to know that you are really oka-"  
An even longer, louder and harsher beep cut him off and he furiously threw the cordless to the bed where it bounced off the hard mattress and down onto the floor shattering into pieces. He didn't care. It's not like she would call anyways. But what if she did?

He thought back to the time when he gave her the nickname; a time when they were happy, when all that mattered to them was each other.

_There was a meadow off the edge of the Cullen property that they frequented. In the spring and summer it bloomed with colors so beautiful, Bella used them to describe her feelings. _

_"How's my girl today?" Edward asked as he and Bella lay side by side in the confines of their own little hideaway. The rest of the Cullens knew the place well, but also knew better than to disturb the pair on their retreats to it._

_"I feel like the lupins. They stand tall, they look like tiny little trees, and they're pink - just like my cheeks when you call me your girl."_

_Bella blushed even more then and Edward relished that. Her blushing was almost his favorite thing in the entire world - almost. It didn't quite surpass her eyes or lips, but it came mighty close._

_"Why are you so perfect?" He asked, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes._

_"Why are _you_ so perfect?" She retorted and he laughed. This question never got answered between them. It always played out the exact same way. It was always a little 'You hang up,' 'No you hang up'. He knew how it would go so he rolled away lying on his back smiling looking up at the sky._

_He opened one arm to her and she eagerly climbed in looking down at him. She was such a confident woman. There was never a need for her to wonder if she was enough, if she was beautiful or whether he loved her. She just knew. He'd always made sure of that._

_"The movers are coming tomorrow at nine in the morning," he said absentmindedly as he rubbed her arm. He then rolled himself until he was almost entirely on top of her, hovering, leaning down to kiss her and trailing sweet kisses to her ear. "And then, Miss Swan, I will never have to wake up alone again." She giggled and he looked down at her in amusement. "In three months time you'll become my wife - the blushing Mrs. Cullen," he grinned. "But it will never be enough. I want you forever, my little Bella."_

_Bella burst out laughing and Edward looked down at her with amused confusion. "Something funny young lady?"_

_"When you say 'little Bella it reminds me of Little Bo Peep for some reason. Every time. And that reminds me of that stupid rhyming song." She smiled up at him and caressed his cheek. "You know, Bella, Bella bo Bella, Banana Fanna fo Fella…," she trailed off, rolling her eyes and laughing at the weird train of thought her brain took her on._

_Edward merely smiled at her, kissing her nose and proclaimed that she was _his _'Little Bo Bella' and that was all that mattered._

"What's on your mind, little bro?"

Edward looked up, surprised to find his brother in his room. He then looked away, back out the window to the rain. It was the only thing that made sense anymore. It was the only thing that never once told him he was an awful person.

"What? I don't even get a hello?" Emmett asked and Edward barely gave a nod in his direction, never averting his eyes. The older boy spotted the remnants of the broken phone on the floor beside the bed and immediately understood. Edward was always in these moods after he called Bella.

"She didn't answer again, huh?

"No, Emmett. She didn't answer. Will you leave me alone?"

"No can do, little man," Emmett said, trying to aggravate him and it worked. He was thankful because he hated the emotionless void his brother always became when his life crashed down on him. "You're going to hang out with me today. How are you feeling?"

Edward ignored him some more. He didn't feel like doing this - pretending that everything was okay. It wasn't what he did.

"Rose and I are getting married. Did you hear?"

Edward closed his eyes and blocked his brother out. Instead of drowning out the thoughts, it brought them straight to the front of his brain. There she was - Bella on _their_ wedding day in a pure white satin gown.

_"If anyone can show 'just cause' why this couple cannot be legally joined in marriage, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."_

_Silence reigned throughout the yard in which Bella and Edward had decided to exchange their vows. He looked at her like he was the luckiest man on the earth and she looked at him as though she, herself was the one who won the prize._

_No one would dare object to this union, however. They were meant to be. They found each other young, and they held on. This was their moment and no one would ruin it._

_Edward mouthed 'I love you' to his beautiful blushing bride as everyone looked on, and she repeated the sentiment back to him with tears in her eyes._

_"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the minister said. After a short pause and a shake of his head he finished off with, "You may kiss the bride."_

_And 'kiss the bride' Edward did. He threw every ounce of emotion into it, going so far as to arch her backwards in a delicate dip, smiling the entire time._

_"Hi Mrs. Cullen," he whispered, wiping her tear-stained cheeks. She laughed through her tears and moved in to reclaim his lips with hers, unable to speak because she was so worked up._

_After the cake and the garter and all of the other essential traditions were out of the way, Alice, Bella's Maid of Honor and Edward's sister, helped her change into a simpler dress and they were on their way to their honeymoon destination._

_Edward, of course, kept this destination a secret from his bride. She hated surprises, but he also knew that if she was aware he was taking her to the family island for a two week stay, she would blow a gasket and try and find a way to pay for something, so he kept silent._

"Where did you go there, man?" Emmett asked, and Edward hung his head. He shook it from side to side, looked out at the rain and back up to his brother.

"Why does she hate me, Em?"

"She doesn't hate you Edward. I told you. She didn't have a choice about leaving you."

"There is always a choice," Edward shouted irately and then tried to stand before remembering his useless limbs and slapped the arm of the chair as hard as he could. He closed his eyes and counted to ten. "There is always a fucking choice. What did I do that was so wrong? We could have worked it out."

Edward pictured her with another man and felt the sudden need to vomit. Looking over to the wastebasket, Emmett understood his need and brought it to his younger brother. As Edward emptied the contents of his stomach into the can, Emmett contemplated which route he should go this time. This was a ritual.

Edward would call Bella. Bella wouldn't answer. Edward would smash the phone. Emmett showed up. Edward relived memories. Edward pictured Bella in another man's arms, which was frankly absurd; then he would expel himself of all nutrients.

He wanted to be pissed that the rest of them weren't around for this. Jasper, their sister Alice's fiancé, came by every once in awhile. He was a groomsman at Edward's wedding and had forged quite a bond with him. He had explained when Alice stopped coming that she just found it too hard. It was too difficult to see him this way. She was upset that he couldn't figure it out and if he was told the truth he would just get angry and tell them to stop lying to him in order to protect Bella.

She left him. Plain and simple.

She left him because he couldn't use his legs.

She left him because she was in love with somebody else.

She left him because she had found better rain to kiss.

She left him because he fucked up.

Think of anything, and he would use it as a reason. Except the truth.

It killed Emmett, but he would stay to the end. Their mother, Esme, had turned to alcohol, and their father, Carlisle, had turned to caring for her.

"She didn't have a choice, Edward, you have to beli-"

"She had a fucking choice, Emmett. She's in some other man's arms now and I don't even know why. If you only knew what I'm left imagining here, man." Edward shook his head and pulledchunks of hair into his fists, trying not to replay more memories.

_"I can't believe you took me to your Island," Bella said as they lay in bed naked, tracing his chest with her fingers._

_"Technically," he said smugly, catching her hand and bringing it up to his lips, "it's _our_ island now." She laughed lightly and leaned up to kiss his lips. _

_Edward took this opportunity to roll on top of the only woman he would ever love and entered her, ever so slowly, cherishing the moment as if it was their last._

_Bella let out tiny sounds as they pushed and pulled. Their hips moved in unison and their lips stayed locked on each other. And when they weren't, they were busy finding purchase anywhere possible. Edward made her cum with his fingers. And then with his tongue and then when he was inside her as they arrived together. As they laid lazily, locked intimately, a simple brush of her finger across his chest made him hard again and they bucked and hissed and moaned until there was nothing left, but love in either of them, to give for the night._

_It was only the first night of their honeymoon and they both knew that every day would just be better than every moment before it. Bella said she was sure that they would love each other so hard that their hearts might explode and Edward laughed lightly as he wrapped her up in his arms and hummed to her._

_"Sleep, my only love. I will always be here when you wake up."_

Edward was once again pissed because she wasn't there when he woke up. She had abandoned him and it wasn't fair.

Emmett saw it in his face and wracked his brain. He excused himself from his brother's room at the facility and found Bella's father, Charlie at the end of the hallway. Even Charlie visited when the rest of the family couldn't be bothered to do so.

The man was wrecked by the whole ordeal, but he held on. Not only did he hold on, but he tried to keep Edward from drowning. He would visit; he would explain the hard stuff and he would even change the voicemail recordings on Bella's cell phone with old ones when they felt Edward needed a change.

The two men forged a bond and worked their asses off trying to get Edward to see through the haze and understand reality. Charlie knew that it would be what his daughter wanted and he really didn't have anyone else. His ex-wife, Renee, had come up when it happened, with her new husband, Phil, before heading back to Arizona. It left him alone and feeling useless.

"How is he today?" Charlie asked and Emmett shook his head sadly at him.

"It's a bad one, Charlie. It's a really bad one. He's already done it all and I don't know where to go from here. I needed a break," Emmett said almost shamefully. He felt awful saying he needed a break from his only brother but it was true. He wasn't lying when he said he would stick it out, but he had to admit that it made him physically sick sometimes to have to watch him go through this.

"Why don't you take that break and I'll go say hi, huh?" Charlie patted him on the shoulder and they exchanged sad smiles.

"Thanks Charlie. I think I would be lost without you."

Charlie nodded and made his way down the hall to Edward's doorway. Standing in the doorway, he watched in pain as the boy was bent over in his chair frantically trying to pick up scattered pieces of yet another phone to put it back together. He always said the same thing and he was muttering it then.

"What if she tries to call and I don't have a phone? She'll hate me even more then. I need to have a phone. I need to have a phone."

Bella's father turned away and made his way down to the nurses' station. Once there, the nurse looked up at him with pity and he hated that. He didn't need their pity. Without words, she got up, went through a door and emerged with a brand new phone in hand and silently handed it over.

This had become a ritual. Charlie wondered if it was a daily occurrence or just a once in awhile thing. He was so concerned for the poor boy in that room. Edward loved his daughter so much and this had literally broken him. It took away his mind and his spirit and he was terrified of how he would do if he ever actually grasped the idea that she had, in fact, died.  
Bella was dead. That was the pure and honest truth.

Charlie entered the room slowly, approaching the boy as though he was a scared animal. He placed the phone down on the table and bent down to plug it into the wall. Edward's eyes never left his movements. When Charlie finally turned to him, he gave him a sad smile and extended a hand towards his shoulder.

"How are you doing, son?" He asked quietly.

Charlie always called him son. By rights, he was. He was family through and through. Edward shrugged his question off and went back to looking out the window.

"Do you want to try calling Bella again?" he asked him, bringing his attention back to the now. "I'll stay right here while you do it."

Edward looked at him warily before picking up the phone and dialing the number he knew so well. It was embedded in his memory until he died. It was the last link to his only love.

As it rang, Charlie watched him and he knew then what he had to do. He could tell the second that the recorded voice of his daughter played on the other end - Edward's face morphed into slate, his features taut and devastated. Then his features and emotions changed to anger - anger at the so-called 'other man' that he heard there.

"Edward, that's your voice, you know?"

The young boy glared at him and shook his head.

"No it isn't." He was adamant about this fact.

"It is. Edward, Bella didn't just leave you." He reached out to touch his arm and Edward pushed it away in anger. "She left me too. She left her mother, her step-father, she left Alice and Emmett...she left us all, Edward. Do you remember?"

Edward looked at him, confused and remaining silent long after the first beep. Then he just stared him down trying to understand what he meant.

"Do you know why you're in the wheelchair, son?" Charlie asked and Edward's face whitened. He looked conflicted as he tried to both nod and shake his head at the same time, dropping the phone and gripping on to the hair on his head.

"No, no, no, no, no," he repeated over and over as he shook his head forcefully.

"Edward, Bella died," he said and braced himself for the onslaught of anger he knew was coming. "There was a car accident. You…," Charlie trailed off and tried to figure out how to tell him, yet again.

Edward tried to stand and instead, because he couldn't, lashed out with a fist to Charlie's too close stomach; one and then another and then three more. Charlie let him do it until he was just sobbing. His tears soaked his own shirt and Charlie continued.

"She died instantly and you were crushed in the wreckage. They had you in a coma for awhile and you missed it. It wasn't fair to you, but you missed it."

"Stop lying to me," Edward screamed out in a primal rage. "Stop telling me this. It isn't true. You don't fucking know anything."

Charlie had expected this. What he did not expect was the sudden swing of the chair towards the wall where Edward punched the shit out of it, taking out his frustrations and anger and making himself bleed.

"She left me and you just lie for her. You're a despicable man, Charlie. How the fuck dare you?"

Charlie knew he didn't mean even one word of that. He'd heard some variation of it many times before. He pressed the emergency call button as he watched helplessly as the boy damaged the property and himself, screaming and swearing at the top of his lungs.

There was a sudden flurry of movement in the room as his doctor and two nurses worked to restrain, sedate and calm Edward down before they moved him into his bed. The calmness that blanketed the room was terrifying. The worst part of it was he wouldn't remember any of this tomorrow.

When Bella died, he never got to mourn her or see her body because he had been in a barbiturate-induced coma** - **acontrolled coma, as he underwent surgery after surgery in the hopes of regaining his movement and repair the many other damaged parts of his body. His legs and his heart never recovered. His mind took the brunt of it, closing itself off and choosing to remember what it wanted to, instead of what it needed to.

Because he was absent when she was pronounced dead, her father came to identify the body. When they lowered her into the ground and wept for them both, he refused to believe it. She simply left him instead. That, Edward could wrap his head around. That he could believe.

Charlie felt his eyes well up with tears at the sight in front of him. The once so self-assured boy now lay in a hospital bed, medically sedated muttering to himself. It was torture to watch.

"Kiss the rain, baby," was the last thing Charlie heard him state under his breath before he went off in search of Emmett to tell him how today's attempt had gone. The rain pounded down on the windows and Edwards head lolled to the side to watch it as his eyelids grew heavy.

Tomorrow was another day; a different attempt; a new approach.

Tomorrow would be exactly the same.


	8. Misery Business

**Please remember to read all 11 entries before voting : )**

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**One Shot Track:****Misery Business by Paramore**

**Artist: KitsuShel**

**Rated: M  
**

I remember the first day met Edward Cullen. It was a balmy June evening at Whitlock's Bar and Grill, a happening little spot in the heart of Seattle. My band, Hayley's Comet, was playing a show there one night and Edward was bartending, along with his brother-in-law, Jasper Whitlock. Edward's bronze hair seemed to shine under the bar lights and his smile was breathtaking, slightly crooked with full lips. His dark green eyes were shared by his sister, Alice, who looked eerily similar to him, except for her shoulder-length dark brown hair. Jasper was a couple of inches taller than Edward, maybe 6'5", and he had dirty blonde hair that frequently fell in his bright blue eyes.

We had such a positive response from the crowd that Alice asked us to make regular appearances. After sitting down with my band mates, we agreed to play there every other week, trying to get our music heard. My brother Emmett played bass and his girlfriend, Rose, was on drums, while our friend Mike played keyboards and did back-up vocals. Me? I was the lead singer and had been playing guitar since our dad had taught us when I was six and Em was eight.

Over the next couple of weeks, I flirted harmlessly with Edward, although I knew he had a heinous bitch of a girlfriend named Jane. Over many trips to the mall or a spa, Alice complained all of the time about how much of a skank this Jane was and how she took advantage of her brother. She had absolutely no clue why he had been dating her for the past six months. They met one night at the bar when her friends had left her for some reason or another. I would have ditched her whiny ass, too. Yes, I've had the displeasure of seeing little Miss Jane in action. She came out to the bar a few times, on nights that we had played. Each time, she found a way to make a spectacle of herself. One night, she went so far as to spill her drink down the front of my shirt, right before we went on stage. That freakish little glint in her eye made me realize that she had set me up. She was nothing more than a jealous little girl, scared that I was moving in on her man. She was right to be nervous, because if Edward had ever given me the slightest idea that he was interested, I would've tossed my hat into the ring. But he didn't. He remained nothing more than a friend who occasionally flirted with me, even though I wanted nothing more than to slam him down on the bar top and have my wicked way with him.

After she soaked the front of my pink Beatles Abbey Road t shirt, I turned to Edward, who was glaring at Jane.

"Hey, E," I called over the din of the crowd so that he could hear me.

"Yeah, Bell? Are you okay?" He walked closer to where I was leaning over the bar and smiled somewhat sadly at me.

"It's cool, I won't melt," I laughed, before adding under my breath, "like she probably would."

I swear he must have had super hearing because he let out a loud laugh before biting his lip to stifle the sound. I felt my panties dampen as I watched his teeth sink into that luscious bottom lip.

_No, no, baby. If anyone's biting those lips, it should be me_, I lamented in my head.

Out loud, I asked if I could borrow the plaid button down he was wearing over a white short-sleeved shirt. He nodded and gave me a quizzical look as he unbuttoned it and tossed it at me. I winked and pulled my Abbey Road over my head. His jaw went slack when he caught sight of my black bra, which enhanced the girls very nicely. I threw on his shirt, tying it at my waist-not bothering to close any buttons-and thanked him by climbing up and kissing him on the cheek. The few patrons who had witnessed my show and I tried to hide my blush. As I sauntered past Jane, she shot daggers at me from her eyes. So I blew her a kiss.

From the stage later on, I felt his eyes on me more than once. Each time I looked over, his intense gaze was indeed trained on me, even with his girlfriend sitting in front of him yapping like a Chihuahua. That night started the shift in our friendly bantering. He began touching me lightly on the hand or arm, whenever he was lost in one of our conversations, almost as if he was running on instinct. I forced myself to step back, though. After weeks of flirting, which turned into friendship, I knew that I cared deeply about him, and I didn't want to be the one to cause him any heartache. If he was happy with Jane, then I would suck it up. Even if she was a total twatmuffin.

Two weeks later, he called in saying that he'd miss his shift, not giving any reason. Going on stage that night, I felt completely off. I mean, we still rocked the house, but my mind was definitely elsewhere. I was extremely lucky that I could perform our songs in my sleep.

Another week passed, and there was still no word from Edward. When I stopped by Whitlock's randomly during the next week to check on him, there was a new guy working. He was handsome, with long blond hair, tied back in a braid. His sea blue eyes crinkled in a smile when he leaned over the bar to ask what I'd like to drink.

"Uh, it's a little too early for me, thanks. Are Jazz, Alice or Edward around?"

"Jazz is in the back doing inventory, and I doubt you'll come across that Edward guy anytime soon- I'm his replacement."

My heart started to hammer in my chest. _What the fuck was going on?_ Had Edward quit? Was he hurt? Had he run off to join the circus?

The new dude noticed my panic and reached out to squeeze my hand.

"Hey, girlie, it's okay. Calm down. I can get Jazz for you, if you want?"

I nodded and took some deep breaths to calm myself. True to his word, New Dude went in the back and came out with Jasper a few moments later. I glared at him with accusing eyes, and he had the nerve to look sheepish.

"Hey, Bella. I see you've met James. Jim, this is the superstar of Hayley's Comet, Bella Swan."

James smiled at me and quickly disappeared, leaving Jazz and I alone. Smart man.

"Where's Edward?" I asked, cutting straight to the chase.

"He quit," Jasper stated matter-of-factly.

I don't know how long I stood there with my mouth wide open, but I snapped it shut as soon as I noticed that I was catching flies.

"Wha-What do you mean? He quit? Why? What's going on?" I asked, the ache in my heart increasing. It had to have something to do with Jane. I just knew it.

Jazz shook his head and gave me a sad look. "I don't know. He's not taking our calls. All I have is a voicemail message from three days ago saying that he wasn't coming back."

I swallowed nervously and blinked back the tears I felt sting my eyes. "Not coming back to the bar? Or the city? Throw me a bone here, Jasper," I pleaded.

He shook his head and shrugged slightly.

"I don't know, Bell. Allie was going to tell you tomorrow night when she came over to your place for your girl's night. She's torn up that he won't answer her calls."

As much as it felt like my heart was breaking, anger was slowly overtaking it as the dominant emotion in my chest. _How dare he?_ How could hurt not only me- his supposed friend- but his sister as well? My fist banged down on the bar top and my chest heaved with fury.

"Cock sucking, Assward!" I said, a little too loudly. Jasper's lips quirked into a small smile.

"Tell us how you really feel, Bell?" he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes and flipped him off as I stormed out of the place. My chest was on fire, and I thought I was about to have a heart attack. A million different scenarios ran through my head. Somehow, all of them ended with Edward running off to Vegas to have Elvis marry him and the little troll. Fuck, I was so stupid. I thought if I loved him enough, I would be fine as long as he was happy. _Wrong._ I felt worse than ever. He was the perfect man for me- kind, intelligent and his head was always filled with music, just like mine was. I had no doubt in my mind that I would never come across another Edward Cullen. So why had I let him go without a fight?

To make matters worse, the next day Mike informed the band that his girlfriend, Jessica was offered a spectacular promotion and he was moving with her to L.A. In six days. He played his last gig with us that Friday night and once again, I felt completely abandoned, even though I could totally understand his decision. I would have followed her, too.

On Saturday, I sat in front my blank tv screen, in my pajamas, just staring into space. I didn't even have the motivation to turn the damn thing on. A knock on the door broke me out of my reverie. I stood sluggishly and squinted through the peephole. My jaw dropped to the floor and my heart stuttered before kicking up to a devastating pace. Elation and fury welled up inside of me, both fighting for dominance. I ran my hand through my ratty hair, which hadn't been brushed since yesterday, trying to remove some of the tangles. I swallowed and opened the door. Edward was standing there, looking tired and ragged, yet still completely sexy. He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, Bell." His smooth, quiet voice washed over me, and it tugged on my heart strings. Unfortunately for him, it also ignited my fury at his disappearance. I clenched my right fist and let it fly, nailing him right in the mouth. A blinding pain erupted in my fingers and shot up to my elbow. I rubbed it swiftly with my left hand and hopped up and down. Why was I hopping up and down? I have no damn clue, it just seemed like the thing to do.

When the pain dulled, I flexed my fingers to make sure they weren't broken. Thankfully they weren't. I looked up at Edward. He was watching me with wide, concerned eyes. His lip was split slightly and a small amount of blood trickled down his chin. I was torn between feeling sad that he was hurt and proud that I had caused it. He reached up and rubbed his jaw, eying me warily, a bruise already forming.

"Well, hello to you, too, Edward," he deadpanned.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at him, before opening my door wide and nodding for him to come in. I had shit to say and I wasn't giving the neighbors a free show. He brushed past me and my pulse began to race again as I caught the slightest whiff of his sandalwood scent. My traitorous body still responded to his proximity, and it was way annoying. I closed the door and crossed my arms to hide my hardened nipples.

"What do you want, Edward?"

He looked at me, confused. "I came over to talk to one of my best friends. Is that not the case anymore?" he asked sadly.

I sighed and shook my head. "Dude, of course I'm still your friend, but you fucked up by not talking to me or telling me you were up and splitting. I had to find out from your replacement at the bar. You wouldn't return my calls, even when I begged for you to just let me know that you were fucking alive. That hurts, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you for that."

His lower lip trembled slightly, and his eyes welled up with unshed tears. He nodded and swallowed, before heading for the door. My jaw just about dropped, but I managed to grab him by the arm before he could leave. He looked down at me in surprise.

"What the fuck are you doing? You're going to walk out?" Even I could hear that my voice laced with panic. "No explanation? No promises that you won't do it again? You're just going to leave me again?"

I hated showing him this weakness, but tears streamed helplessly down my face.

"Bella," he whispered brokenly before pulling me into his arms and hugging me tightly.

I clung to him and sobbed, still angry, yet also relieved that he was safe.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered over and over. "I'm so fucking sorry."

After a few moments, he pulled back and reached out to cup my face.

"I swear, if you give me another chance I will never, never walk away like that again. I was confused and scared. I didn't know what else to do besides cut all ties. I figured that you'd move on and forget all about my dumb ass."

"You are such an idiot, Edward. What the hell would make you just want to up and disappear off the face of the Earth?"

He smiled shyly and looked at his feet, before meeting my eyes. "I realized I was in love with you, so I broke up with Jane."

Dude said what? I resisted the urge to stick my finger in my ear to make sure I was hearing him correctly. He stepped back into my living room and walked over to gaze out of the window.

"Look," he continued, "I understand that you probably don't feel the same, but I had to make you understand why I left. I didn't mean to be gone so long; I just wanted to get my head straight. I didn't want to be that douche who breaks up with one girl just to put the moves on another. That's not who I am. As for not returning your calls, I was mugged the first week I was in New York and my phone was stolen. I was being emo and didn't bother to replace it."

I heard everything he was saying to me, but nothing registered beyond his declaration of love. I walked slowly over to him, and he watched my movements warily, more than likely expecting another assault. He wasn't that far off the mark, I was just planning to attack him with my lips.

"You love me?" I asked incredulously. He nodded hesitantly, and I threw myself into his arms. He caught me with a laugh, which I promptly stifled with my mouth. He pulled back and winced because of his sore lip.

"Oops, sorry."

He grinned. "Don't be. Just be gentle, I'm fragile." He winked, and I smacked him in the shoulder. Hard.

The next week was spent getting to know each other more intimately- after I forced him to deal with Alice's wrath, of course. I wasn't letting him get out of that one; she was pissed and had every right to be. Somehow though, they patched things up quickly, and then it was just the two of us holed up in my apartment, hiding from the world. It was sweet and uncomplicated, except for the moments when I wanted to strangle him for refusing to go past third base. He wanted to do things "right", and I was getting frustrated at being turned down. I understood where he was coming from considering how fucked up things had been over the past month or so, but my body still ached for him.

It didn't matter how nimble and talented the man's fingers and mouth were, I wanted to be connected completely, to be devoured by him. To be frank, I wanted to fuck him into next week. I was dealing with the female equivalent of blue balls. My physical frustrations, coupled with Emmett's nagging about finding a new band member to replace Mike, came to a head later that next weekend. I hung up on my brother and threw my phone across the room, narrowly missing Edward's head.

His wide, frightened eyes whipped towards me. "What did I do now?"

Rolling my eyes, I plopped down on the couch nest to him and rubbed my temples.

"Fucking Em is getting on my nerves about finding someone to take over for Mike. I just don't want to deal with this shit right now."

Edward sat back and looked contemplatively for a moment.

"You know," he responded, "I can play the piano, and I'm currently out of a job. Think Emmett would want give me a try?"

Huh? How had I never known that this perfect man was even more perfect, if that were even possible?

"Are you serious? You can play keyboard?"

He shrugged. "Sure, I've been playing for years. My mom made both Alice and me learn a musical instrument. I picked piano. Alice chose the flute."

I jumped up and ran over to find wherever the hell my phone had landed. Snatching it up along with my jacket, I pulled Edward off of the couch and towards the door.

"Uh, Bell? Where are we going?" he asked in amusement.

"We're going to visit my brother."

He pulled my back against his chest and ghosted his lips up my neck. "Can it wait? I can think of better things to do at the moment."

"Edward," I whined. "Don't do this to me now. I'm horny and I'm frustrated."

"I'm sorry, Bella," he whispered against my ear. "Soon, baby. Please let me do this my way. I need to feel like you trust me again."

I turned swiftly around look up into his sad eyes. "Edward, I do trust you. And I understand why you want to wait. It doesn't make me any less eager to feel myself wrapped around your cock." I whispered the last part, and he groaned, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Dammit, Bella. You can't say shit like that," he said between clenched teeth.

"Sorry," I laughed lightly.

"You think this is funny? I'll show you funny, Ms. Swan."

He gripped my hips tightly and ground his erection into my ass, before reaching around and unbuttoning my jeans and slipping his hand inside.

One orgasm for me and a blowjob for him later, we were on the road to Emmett's.

Emmett was hesitant at first, but after hearing Edward play, he was sold. We spent hours practicing every day for a week. We all showed up at Whitlock's an hour earlier than normal to let Edward get accustomed to the stage. It was our best performance, ever, and the crowd was amazing. At our next show, two weeks later, the place was packed to standing-room only. Three days after that, we received a call from a label saying that they wanted to sign us. We had finally gotten our big break. Before long, were in the studio to record our first album.

Tonight was our final show at Whitlock's; we would be heading out on our first tour tomorrow as one of the opening acts for a fairly well-known band. This was our celebratory night and everything was going great until a few minutes before show time. Alice and I had been talking about something completely random, but her smile fell quickly when she noticed something across the room.

"What is it?" I turned my head and looked around, immediately noticing Jane stalking over to us. "Great, just what I need right now."

Alice patted me on the arm and winked. "Do you want me to throw her out? I know the owner."

I chuckled and shook my head. "She's got it out for me, but I'll wear the biggest smile when everything is said and done with. Let her do her worse."

"Well, well, well," a shrill voice trilled.

I turned around to meet Jane's irate gaze.

"If it isn't the home-wrecker herself," she sneered.

My eyes widened and my fingers clenched in my palm, making a fist. My knuckles were still sore from decking Edward a couple of weeks ago, and I knew there was no way I'd be able to play tonight if I knocked Jane on her ass right now.

"Home-wrecker, you say? All I see is the woman who makes my brother incredibly happy," Alice commented by my side.

Jane sneered at Alice and flipped her hair in dismissal. Then she turned to me.

"I know you have Edward's attention right now, but it won't last. I'm here tonight to give him a second chance. I know he was just confused and thought that he had "feelings" for you, but I'm sure by now he's realized how wrong he was."

_Dear Lord, this twit just used air quotes at me. Please give me the strength to not pop her one_, I silently prayed.

I stood toe-to-toe with the petite blonde and smiled menacingly down at her. "Second chances, they don't ever matter; people never change. Once a whore, you're nothing more. I'm sorry, that'll never change."

Jane's hazel eyes flashed angrily. "This is none of your business, Isabella," she spat out. "This is between Edward and me."

I shook my head slowly, wondering what rock she had crawled out from under.

"When are you going to realize that he doesn't want you? There's a million other girls who do it just like you; looking as innocent as possible to get to who they want and what they like. He'll never want you back. I'll be the one to watch his wildest dreams come true, not one of them involving you."

Jane blinked stupidly at me. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Smirking, I adjusted my guitar strap and brushed past her. "You'll just have to wait and see now, won't you?"

She grabbed my arm and jerked me towards her. "I wouldn't start bragging, if I were you. This is far from over."

"It was never my intention to brag, but God, does it feel so good. Cause I've got him where I want him right now," I replied as I pulled away and made my way to where the rest of the band, my family, was waiting for our cue. Our lives were ahead of us, and Jane was in the past.

After an awesome show, we were in the back packing up our stuff when Jane weaseled her way into the room.

"Eddie!" she squealed as she rushed into his arms. Edward's eyes widened, and he stood there frozen for a moment before pushing her away gently.

"Jane? What are you doing here?" he asked.

She batted her eyes and tried to look seductive. "I just wanted you to know that I've forgiven you for letting me go, and that I'd be happy to take you back."

Edward turned to look at me incredulously. "Are we on Punk'd?"

I bit my lip and tried not to laugh, but a giggle escaped. Jane turned her hateful gaze on me and pointed.

"You! This is your fault, you little bitch." She rushed at me, but I sidestepped her easily, letting her trip over a chair and fall on her ass.

"Oops," I whispered as I turned towards my friends and shrugged. She pounded her fists on the floor like a small child throwing a tantrum. I swung my guitar over my shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Edward. "You used to date a toddler? That's kind of creepy, dude."

He rolled his eyes at me and smiled, before grabbing his bag and escorting me out to my car. He kissed me sweetly and threw his bag into my backseat.

"I've got some things to sit down and discuss with Alice before we leave tomorrow. I'll be over when I'm done, okay?"

I smiled and nodded, knowing that Alice needed this time with her brother.

"Okay, don't be too long. We have an early flight, remember?"

He chuckled and shut my door after I climbed into the driver's seat.

"Yes, love. I'll be home soon."

My heart swelled when he used the term home in regards to my apartment. It wasn't so much the building that felt like home to me anymore, it was Edward. Wherever he was, that was home to me now. After getting home and crashing on the couch, I was awoken from my nap a little while later by the sound of Edward coming in the door. My head lolled in his direction and I smiled. He grinned and sat down next to me, pulling me into his arms and kissing me. It grew passionate, and his hand started to caress my covered breasts.

My heart started to hammer and my breathing sped up. "Stop," I hissed. "Don't start something that you can't finish."

"Can't finish?" he purred as he teased the hem of my shirt. "Let me show you how I finish."

His lips attacked mine greedily, sucking and nipping with his teeth. My hands wound into his hair and tugged gently, causing him to groan into my mouth.

"Fuck, Bella," he whispered against my lips. "You're so damn sexy. I can't keep my hands off you."

"Then don't," I retorted cheekily, stepping away from him and pulling my shirt off and tossing it on the floor. "I can't stand it anymore, Edward. Take me. Fuck me now, baby; make me yours."

Something flashed in his eyes, and before I realized what had happened, I was lying on my back in the middle of the bed. Something flashed in his eyes, and before I realized what had happened, I was lying on my back in the middle of the bed. Something flashed in his eyes, and before I realized what had happened, I was lying on my back in the middle of the bed. All of our clothes ended up strewn about the apartment, his body was lean and muscled, arms trembling as he held his weight off of me. His mouth latched onto my left breast, sucking roughly at my nipple, and I gasped as it sent a chill down my back and straight between my legs. His mouth latched onto my left breast, sucking roughly at my nipple, and I gasped as it sent a chill down my back and straight between my legs. I hooked my feet around his ass, trying to pull him closer in order to find the friction I desperately needed. As his mouth switched to my other breast, he smirked at me, and I felt one of his hands slowly trail down my side and across my stomach. I hissed in anticipation and excitement. His fingers teasingly slid right past where I wanted them. Instead, he stroked my folds and slid two fingers easily inside of me.

"Shit, you're so wet, baby. Is this all for me?" he asked in a gruff voice.

Not being one to hold my snarkiness back, even in the face of finally getting laid by this man, I just had to run my mouth.

"No dumbass, it's for Mr. Brown, the seventy year old who lives next door. He really gets me all hot and bothered, you're just reaping the benefits. You should really go thank him when we're finished."

With his fingers still inside of me, he looked down at me with shock and amusement.

"Apparently I'm not doing enough to keep your mind off of him then," he chuckled before moving his fingers swiftly in and out as he pressed his thumb against my clit. The pleasure was too intense, and my orgasm crashed over me unexpectedly. He removed his fingers as my legs fell apart, and he smirked conceitedly as I laid there panting. I shifted and reached down to take his hard shaft in my hand and squeezed tight enough to almost hurt him. The smirk fell from his face, to be replaced by a slack-jawed look of pleasure. I pumped him a few times before he removed my hand and held them both above my head as he kissed me blind.

He released me a few moments later to reach down and pull a condom out of his wallet. He rolled it on swiftly and teased his cock at my entrance, spreading my wetness around with the tip. He looked into my eyes, as if asking permission and I rolled my eyes in return, wrapping my legs around his waist again, pulling him to me.

"Please, Edward. I need you," I growled. I felt him shift and push, filling me completely. His eyes drifted closed and he groaned as he fully sheathed himself inside of me.

"Fuck, baby, you feel so good."

As he started to thrust, softly and shallow at first, I felt my belly begin to tighten again. His movements became faster, harder. I couldn't stop the moan that vibrated up through my chest. _Fucking hell, he's incredible... _He brought his lips to mine once again and kissed me wildly. Need spread throughout me, and I was soon meeting him thrust for thrust, trying desperately to reach the peak that was eluding me.

"Please, please, please," I begged in gasps, not even sure what I was pleading for, but he understood. He was a quick study. The past few weeks spent in sex play had revealed my body's secrets. My orgasm ripped through me the instant his fingers brushed my clit.

"Fuck! Edward!" I cried out as my body arched against his. He continued to pound into me as I rode it out.

"Bella, baby. Fuck, oh, fuck!" He ground out, stilling deep within me before collapsing on top of me, panting.

After a few minutes of collecting our breaths, his weight started to become uncomfortable.

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah, baby," he mumbled.

"Do you think that you could get off of me, now that you've gotten off?" I uttered cheekily.

He immediately shifted his body so that he was lying next to me and pulled me into his arms.  
"You know, you should really run over to thank Mr. Brown before we fall asleep."

"Do me a favor, Bella?"

"Anything."

"Never lose that smart mouth of yours. I adore it."

I snorted in an unlady-like manner and giggled.

"Trust me, I don't think you ever have to worry about that."


	9. Open Your Heart To Me

**Please remember to read all 11 entries before voting : )**

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**PenName:** ladysharkey1 and jadsmama

**Lyric Used:** I hold the lock and you hold the key

**Title:** The Locket

**Rating:** M

**Summary:** Edward struggled to let go when all he wanted was to hold on tighter. His love was more than skin deep. When he's forced to let go, would he? Written for the "One Shot Soundtrack" contest.

**Disclaimer:** Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.  
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_"Open your heart to me, baby_

_I hold the lock and you hold the key_

_Open your heart to me, darlin'_

_I'll give you love if you, you turn the key"_

_**~~Open Your Heart by Madonna~~**_

The time had come where Carlie would no longer be Carlie Marie Cullen; she would be Carlie Marie Black. It was the day I dreaded for twenty five years because I was expected to walk my only child down the aisle.

I was trying not to freak the fuck out, but I was losing the battle.

It's not like she wouldn't be my daughter any longer, right? Just because she accepted another man's last name didn't mean she belonged to him, right? What the hell was I thinking? Hell no, she would never belong to him. She would belong to me forever.

She was _my_ little girl. Well, mine and Bella's. Not only did she have my blood running through her veins, my piercing green eyes, and sideways smirk, she had a piece of my heart. The locket on my body would forever prove that and no one could ever take her away from me.

Not even someone with the title of husband.

The rational side of my brain knew that I needed to let her go, but the irrational side seemed to overtake what I knew was right.

How would I let my daughter walk down an aisle towards her future husband?

As I sat in my study for some solitude, I glanced at a wall filled with family photos and my eye caught Carlie and the dog's_, I mean Jake's, _engagement photo. My hand naturally moved up to cover my heart. I did this without even thinking most days. It had always brought me peace.

I stood there in silence as I reflected on the day that I had my tattoo engraved into my skin. I remembered it like it was yesterday; it was the day our doctor told us we would have a daughter to love.

I had always wanted a tattoo, but I would never settle for getting something that did not have a personal meaning behind it. I knew instantly what I would get, and as we left the doctor's office, I practically flew to the closest tattoo shop. Two hours later, I had a locket above my heart with a rose framing it on each side - one for both of my girls.

We decided later that night that we would return to the shop after our daughter was born so Bella could have the key to the locket tattooed on the back of her neck.

Bella was my world and I knew our little girl would have us both wrapped around her finger.

_**22 years before**_

I had never really given any thought to the day I would get to explain the meaning behind my tattoo to Carlie. I wanted her to understand the meaning of my tattoo and to comprehend that, even though it was etched into my skin, it belonged to her and Bella. Clearly I did not expect I would have this deep conversation with a three year old. Especially after the morning I'd had.  
Bella loved to give me wake up calls. For some reason, her sex drive was at its highest first thing in the morning. My sexy wife had plans for me most mornings and my cock made sure my eyes would open quickly. God, I had the best wife _ever_.

That particular day, Bella suggested we take our morning activities into the shower. I loved it when we did that because I liked to get my wife nice and loud. She may have been the person who initiated our fun, but I made sure Bella was the one who enjoyed it the most. The water helped to muffle her moans and soft screams of ecstasy.

After we spent a good amount of time "cleaning" each other, I figured I better check on Carlie while Bella finished her shower. She normally woke up and asked for a cup of milk while she watched cartoons and we got ready for the day.

I pulled some jeans on and grabbed my shirt so I could iron it and headed towards Carlie's room. I was met with the sweet sounds of my baby girl singing at the top of her little lungs in the front room. Her sweet voice always made me smile, but her singing made my smile grow even bigger. Music was something we shared a passion for.

"Five liddle mumkies jumping on da bed. One fells off and broke her liddle head. Mama called da doctor and da doctor said no more Carlie's' jumping on da bed."  
I saw her stern little face and heard her serious voice as she sang "no more Carlie's' jumping da the bed" and it caused me to laugh and gave away my presence. I could not stop laughing at my daughter's song and I was sure Bella was the one that changed the words to include Carlie's name. Our three year old daughter was fearless and would jump off the bed without a second thought about it.

"What, Daddy? Why you laugh at me?" Carlie asked with a shy smile.

"Love bug, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing with you because you are so cute," I explained as I bent down to place a kiss on her forehead.

"Morning, baby." I whispered as I took in her sweet smell. It was one of my favorite scents in the world.

"Goo' mor'ing, Daddy. Where's Mama?" She greeted me with a kiss on my cheek.

"She's taking a shower and getting ready for work. I wanted to make sure my love bug had her milk and _Mickey's Club House_ this morning."

I stood up and started to walk to the kitchen when I was stopped mid step by a horrific look on Carlie's face, which was accompanied by a loud gasp.

"DADDY, why you write on your tummy? Oooooohhh, mama is not gonna be happy with you, mister. You gonna go to time out." She looked at me as if I had broken all the rules and would be paying for it, with my life.

I never realized she had not noticed the tattoo before. At three years old, she was becoming more aware of her world.

"Mama says markers and papers are friends, not markers and you tummy," Carlie explained with great authority. "Why you do dat?"

I found myself once again laughing at her sweetness and her stern voice when she read me my rights over the proper way to use a marker.

I knew it was the time to explain my tattoo to her. Honestly, I was a little excited about it. I sat down on the floor Indian style and reached over to pull her into my lap. She snuggled in easily and I began my explanation.

"Love bug, I did not color on my chest with markers. It's a tattoo." I stopped myself with that sentence. I realized I had already started off wrong and needed to explain it in three year old terms, and the word tattoo wasn't really a three year old word.

"Well, actually, it is a type of marker in a way. It's a special kind of marker that never washes off."

"But Mama says never write on you. It's bad."

"You're right, baby, you should never write on your body with the markers from your coloring box. When you get older you can get special markers, but the store only sells them to eighteen year olds. Are you eighteen?" I asked, figuring I'd better keep her involved in the explanation or she wouldn't pay attention to anything I said or my explanation of why she was not allowed write on her body.

"Silly Daddy, I'm freee." My daughter smiled up at me, amused by my question.

"Yes, you're ttthhhrrreee, not free, baby," I corrected her.

"So when you turn eighteen, you can go to a store that has special markers and pick out a picture that they will color on your body and then it will stay there forever and ever."

"Weally, Daddy? I wanna Elmo on me!" Carlie shouted with excitement.

"If that's really what you want, but you should pick something that you love more than anything, because you will never be able to wash it off. Do you know what I love more than anything and what my picture is about?" I looked down into her eyes and wanted to make sure I captivated all of her attention because, even though she was only three, I needed her to somewhat comprehend the importance of my tattoo.

She just shook her head so I started my explanation again.

"I love you and Mommy more than anything in this world. I had this pretty picture colored on me for you and her so everyone would know I love you. One rose is for you and one is for Mommy, and then this right here…" I pointed to the key hole so she looked at what I was talking about, "is like the front door. Do you know how we get into the house when we come home from daycare or the park?"

It was the most important part, so once again I brought her into the conversation and hoped it would help her grasp what I explained.

She put her finger to her mouth and tapped it a few times to show me she was thinking hard.

"Firsted, you put da key in da hole and then you let me push da door open."

"That's right, Carlie! The locket on Daddy's chest is just like the front door, but it's the door to my heart. If you opened it up, you would see all the love I have for you and Mommy in there." A smile crept up on my face as I thought about all the love I had for my girls and the happiness they gave me every day.

"The special part is that you and Mommy are the only ones that have a key," I whispered in her ear as I enjoyed this close moment with my daughter.

"But how I gonna open it up? I'm too short," she pouted with her bottom lip sticking out.

"You will never be too short or too tall to open Daddy's heart, love bug. You will always be the perfect size because Daddy's heart will always belong to you and be where you can reach it." It was a true statement. My heart would belong to her and Bella until the day I died.

"I hold the lock and you hold the key, sweetheart." I smiled as I pointed from my heart to hers.

"Where is da key? I don't seee it," Carlie said as she looked down at her chest and then around the room.

"It's right here." I pointed to her heart again. "It will always be right here."

**~~~ TL ~~~**

As I drove to the church, I smiled at the memory of explaining the meaning of my tattoo to Carlie. The entire day had already been somewhat of a haze to me. I had managed to shower, shave, and eat, but I did not remember performing those tasks.

Hell, I barely remembered getting dressed, but I did.

Bella had informed me earlier that I would be on my own during the morning and that I had to be at the church at one o'clock sharp. She also told me that if she heard anything bad about something else I did or said, I would be sleeping on the couch until further notice. After what I had done the night before, I knew not to push her.

I was actually relieved to have the day to myself. I needed time to think and prepare myself for how I could put on a brave face to make it through the evening. I was not in Bella's good graces after the rehearsal, so I made sure to follow her instructions to a "T" and arrived with five minutes to spare.

As I climbed the steps of the church and entered the large entrance, I was greeted by my mother.

"Hello, Edward." Esme grinned at me, but I could see the silent sympathy her eyes held.

"Hi, Mom." I walked over to her and planted a kiss on her cheek. Her face lit up with my gesture.

"Edward, Bella wanted me to inform you that your tux is hanging in the closet upstairs in the third room on the left. She plans to stay with Carlie while she gets ready."

"Thanks, Mom. I think I need to do what I'm told and stay there until someone comes and gets me," I said sheepishly, knowing my mom had witnessed my melt down the night before and watched as Bella reprimanded me afterwards.

"Good idea. That way you keep yourself out of trouble," she said with a smirk and wink. She patted my shoulder and started to walk away.

I had to stop her, though. I needed some guidance. Who better to ask than her?

"Mom?" I said, more as a question than a statement, unsure of where to even start. "Um…. can I ask you something?"

"Of course, darling."

She walked over to a couple of chairs that were in the hallway, took a seat, and patted the one next to her for me to do the same.

I sunk down into the chair and rubbed my face with the palms of my hands. I let a deep breath out.

"Why is this so hard? Did you feel like this when all of us got married? If so, how did you make it through three weddings?" I let it all out quickly because I needed some answers. "I can't even do this once without turning into a possessive jerk."

"Darling, the world is not crashing down on you as you seem to think it is. It is hard. It's a major event in your child's life and a milestone that says they're all grown up." She paused. I assumed it was to think of a secret she could tell me that would make things easier. I was wrong.

"No, I didn't feel this way when you kids got married. Yes, it was a little bittersweet to watch my babies leave the nest, but I focused on how happy they were. My children picked perfect partners to spend their lives with. A wedding is a fabulous way to celebrate that kind of happiness with everyone."

That was not what I wanted to hear. Who would have thought my mom would have been so optimistic at a time like that? She noticed that I was not too thrilled by her words.

"Let me ask you this, Edward. How would you have felt if I threw a fit when you married Bella? What if I would have told you 'I forbid you to marry that girl', huh?" she asked with a knowing look in her eyes.

There was no way in hell I would not have married Bella. I would have done so without my family's approval and with no regrets. I would have been heartbroken that my family, especially my mom, weren't supportive, but I would have married her regardless.

I narrowed my eyes at her; she was playing hard ball with me. I knew where she was going with this, but didn't want to admit I was defeated yet, so I struggled on.

"Why'd you ask me that when you already know what my answer will be?" I had to be careful here because making my mom mad at me was almost as bad as being on Bella's shit list. "I would have moved hell with my own two hands to marry Bella. You already know that, Mom."

"You're right, Edward. I know you would've married Bella even if everyone told you it was the wrong thing to do." She smiled at me again with that look in her eyes that meant she was about to make her point.

My mom took my face in her hands and forced me to look at her. "If you think Carlie and Jake wouldn't move hell to be with each other, then you've had your eyes closed these past couple of years. They are good kids that love each other. No, I take that back. They are not kids, Edward. They are adults and made the right decision to get married and to start their future together.  
"What you did last night was very wrong, Edward. Sure, you tried to make it seem like a joke, but every single person there knew you were serious." She dropped her hands to the arms of the chair she sat in, gripping them softly.

"Did you see the look on Jake's face? He was shocked by what you did. I apologized to him and his family after the rehearsal. I shouldn't have to apologize for you because you are a grown man. We raised you better than that and you owe them an apology tonight. You are not the only parent affected by your bad decisions. Their son is getting married, too, and you are ruining it for them."

She pushed up from her seat as she finished saying her peace, reached for my hand, and proceeded to speak in a softer tone. "In regards to how I made it through my children's weddings, I kept my sadness about my babies growing up to myself. I knew you guys would always come to me if you needed my help." She paused and smiled at me, proving her point because I had came to her for advice. "I put on a happy face all day long. I enjoyed the guests and may have had an extra glass of champagne to get me through. Also, your father held me as I cried at night when I missed you guys."

I smiled up at her and hoped I could pull myself together_._

"Thanks, Mom, for listening to me, but especially for your advice. I'll apologize to Mr. Black tonight."

"No thanks are needed. Listening is one of the things a parent does, Edward. We are _always_ there for our children, no matter what. We are there to enjoy the good times and to be there for the bad times. This is a _good day_. You need to stop moping and enjoy it," she encouraged me.

With one last hug, she turned and walked away. I sat and tried to get my thoughts in order.

A few minutes later, I realized I'd better get my ass upstairs. I was already on wife's shit list and did not want to make it any worse.

I started up the stairs and heard voices coming from several rooms as soon as I made it to the top. I knew Bella and Carlie were around somewhere. That thought alone put me a little at ease.

When I reached my _assigned_ room, my mind drifted back to the first time I ever thought about Carlie becoming a bride. A soft smile crept up on my face at the memory.

_**19 years before**_

Bella was excited when Emmett and Rose asked if Carlie could be their flower girl. Bella's excitement was nothing compared to Carlie's. Her dreams had come true. I had heard girls dreamt about their wedding day their entire lives; I just never thought my six year old would have such an extravagant dream. She planned her own wedding that night while sitting at the kitchen table eating an apple. It was that very apple that caused her to lose her front tooth.

Carlie was so proud of the dress she wore during the wedding. She wore a white dress that made her look like a princess.

"How do I look, Daddy?" Carlie asked as she spun in a wobbly circle.

"Beautiful, baby girl. Always beautiful."

She pretended she was the bride the entire day.

It didn't help matters much when she told me earlier in the day that she was going to marry Michael from her kindergarten class. I remembered the feeling my heart made as it dropped to my feet. I thought about what it would be like to give Carlie away to man who would never be worthy of her.

Carlie must have noticed the worry in my eyes during my split second of panic because she told me she was just teasing. Thank God for small miracles.

Later that evening, Bella and I had just finished another dance together during the reception when I felt a tug on my tuxedo jacket. My daughter asked me to dance with her with the cutest, toothless smile in the world adorning her face.

Bella rolled her eyes and laughed, "I guess you'd like your song?" she asked.

We looked at each other and nodded. Since the first time we heard "I Loved Her First" on the radio, Carlie and I had claimed it as "Our Song".

It took two more songs until we got to share our dance. Carlie stood on my feet and I moved us around the dance floor.

Eventually Bella joined us and the three of us danced the night away. My girls were in my arms and they held hands with their fingers interlocked, resting over my heart. It reminded me of the tattoo I'd had for the past six years that represented our little family. I had never felt more complete than I did on that dance floor.

**~~~ TL~~~**

I teared up at the memory of my wife and daughter as we danced together at my brother's wedding. My daughter, who used to love standing on my feet when we danced, had done what I hoped she never would do. Carlie grew up right before my very eyes and if I could turn back time, I would.

I saw my smile reflected back at me in the glass of the window I looked out of. The room where I stood was on the second floor of the church. I chose to stay by myself since everyone was still mad at me. Okay, so I was not exactly alone by choice. Bella had essentially put me in "time out".

I frowned at that thought, but as quickly as it entered my mind, I was smacked back into reality. Literally.

"What the hell, Emmett?" I whined.

Emmett was grinning at me through the reflection in the glass. "What do you mean, 'What the hell'? And you'll be going to Hell if you continue to cuss in church, jackass."

"Did you come up here just to piss me off or do you have something you need?"

The day already sucked without my stupid ass older brother adding to my misery.

Emmett sighed, "Edward, your wife sent me up here to remind you that you can't stay up here and pout like a sissy girl all day. Those are her words, not mine." He rolled his eyes. "She said you need to get dressed now and you need to be downstairs in one hour to happily walk Carlie down the aisle." He spoke each word slowly as if I was a kindergartner.

"Also, I was sent here to remind you that if you have an outburst like the one you had last night, your wife said, and I do quote, 'Tell him he will never see me naked again', and dude, she was serious when she said it. I wouldn't push her if I was you. If you're acting like you have PMS now, I don't want to imagine how you'd act if you had a serious case of blue balls, too." He faked having the chills and laughed.

Then, just to be a dick, he added, "I'm fucking glad I'm not you."

I finally turned around and tried to interrupt him, but was not quick enough. "Emmett, I..."

"No, you listen to me, Edward. Even though what you did was funny as shit, it was wrong of you. Why the hell did you think it was appropriate to yell, 'I OBJECT!' during your daughter's wedding rehearsal?"

"Emmett, I..."

He ignored me. "_Then_, just to add to her humiliation and utter fucking embarrassment, you tried to _pretend_ that you were _joking_ when you tried to pull her back down the aisle away from Jake and the damn minister!"

"Emmett, I..."

"No, dummy, you listen to me. You do not want Carlie to look back on this day and remember how selfish you were. You broke her heart last night, bro. She tried to pretend that it didn't matter, but everyone could see the pain and confusion in her eyes. She went from laughing and being carefree to just going through the motions. Honestly, she deserved better, man, especially from her dad."

My brother looked me in the eyes and added, "And the next time you fucking decide to do something like that, give your brother a heads up. I could've made some big money from a bet with Jasper because he said you would sit back and watch, but I knew better than that shit. I should really trust my instincts more."

Emmett told me how he wished he had asked Jasper to bet him one hundred dollars that I would sabotage the evening. _Being a jackass must be a family trait._

I began to tell him all the reasons why I did not want Carlie to go through with the wedding, and the more I talked, the more I could see the good side of the dog, _I mean Jake_. Emmett said Jake had held her close to him the rest of the evening while he rubbed her back and reassured her that he loved her and they would get through it together.

Even though I could see his good qualities and I knew I was wrong, there was a battle that raged inside my head. The battle of the good father who knew his daughter was happy versus the bad father who loved his daughter so much he did not know how to let her go.

Emmett listened, mostly. When I would start to sound like a whiny girl, he would point it out. When I said I wished I could turn back time and not act like a selfish bastard, he told me I did not own a DeLorean and that Doc would not be waiting for me like he had been for Marty in 'Back to the Future'. I smiled at the reference to our favorite childhood movie.

When Emmett said, "Seriously, bro, I'm going to give you some advice that I hope you take. It's life changing stuff," he cleared his throat to be dramatic.  
"If you love something, set it free... SHIT! What the hell was that for, fucker? I'm just trying to help."

I tried to shake off the pain from where I punched my brother in the arm. "Stop it. I get it. I'm going to change and get downstairs. Thanks for nothing, dickhead."

"Just remember, bro, a happy wife makes for a happy life, or in your case, a naked wife."

"Yeah, thanks for the advice," I shook my head and walked towards the closet where Bella had hung my tuxedo and said a silent prayer.

_"God,_  
_Please help me get through this day so I can see my wife naked again._  
_Amen."_

As I walked down the stairs after I got dressed, I realized I had not done what was best for my daughter. The day she was born, I had promised her that I would always put her needs first. I had broken my promise and put myself first. How could I fix this?

I remembered when she was just a baby and rolled over for the first time. I remembered her first day of school, her first day of piano lessons, and her first ballet recital. Then I thought about when she went on her first date, which about fucking killed me. I barely survived, but only thanks to Bella's distractions.

The day she graduated high school was a bittersweet day, but I made it through. Bella and I were proud of her as we sat with our families and watched Carlie accept her diploma.

As I continued to walk towards my own personal hell, I was reminded of the trip we made to take Carlie to college. That was a tough trip as my instincts to hold on struggled against the pride I felt in seeing her succeed. That had been the first time I ever had to let her go.

_**7 years before**_

It was late in the evening when we finally decided to stop. Bella, Carlie and I had been driving for 9 days. We had mixed emotions because we knew at the end of our journey we'd leave Carlie behind and fly back to Seattle.

Carlie had chosen to attend The University of Chicago. I was proud of her, but I didn't know how I would handle her being over 2,000 miles away from us. My wife tried to tell me to think in smaller numbers, so the joke was that she'd only be _six_ states away.

Montana was a wide ass state, though. It should count as two, maybe even three states.

We had decided to take two weeks to travel across the northern US so we could enjoy our time together as a family. Bella and I wanted to use the trip as a way to discuss real life issues with our daughter. As her parents, we tried to emphasize the importance of safety, stressed that she shouldn't walk around at night, and to trust her instincts. Drugs and alcohol played a huge part in our discussion during the trip.

Bella wanted to discuss the importance of condoms and STDs. I did not want to be around when she had the "sex" talk with Carlie again. I was still traumatized from the first time Bella made me join in on that topic. We raised her to respect her body and asked her to try to save herself for "the one". I damn well did not want to know if we succeeded with that or not. I would end up in jail if I ever heard otherwise.

But as my luck would have it, I arrived just at the tail end of the 'condoms do not prevent herpes' discussion.

"Carlie, I know how it is to get into the heat of the moment and not feel like you can stop, but twenty minutes of pleasure is not worth a lifetime of lesions." Bella giggled when she said lesions.

She was a nurse and had never shied away from being honest with Carlie.

Carlie laughed and turned to look at me and then winked, "I know, Mom. She's told me this a hundred times. Right, Dad?"

Just like that, my loving daughter, who I would lay down my very own life for, had thrown me into the pits of Hell. "Oh… um…. uh," I cleared my throat because I sounded like a girl, "I… I think you have, Bella," I stuttered.

They knew what they did to me.

Their first clue was the sweat that formed on my forehead.

Their second clue was when my eyes pleaded for them to stop and have mercy on me.

They were like hungry sharks that smelled blood in the water and went in for the kill.

"Dad, did you and Mom use condoms in college?" Carlie giggled and bumped Bella with her shoulder. "I don't know if they even made condoms that long ago," Carlie said more like a question than a fact.

"Carlie," Bella faked disappointment and shook her head from side to side. She would not win an Oscar, that's for damn sure. "You know your father isn't that old. Of course we used condoms. Right, honey?"

They were tag teaming me now. More like Killer Whales than Great White sharks.

"No, Mom, I swear I watched a show on Discovery Health that talked about the use of condoms in the olden days and I'm sure it said they didn't have them back then," Carlie said seriously. Bella high-fived Carlie and gave our daughter encouragement that was never needed.

"Shoot me now," I begged. "You two pick on me just to watch me sweat," I said as I wiped my brow. "There, are you happy with yourselves?"

"Yes," Bella and Carlie said in unison.

Bella continued, "That will teach you not to pick on us when we're stuck in a car with you for hours and can't escape." Then they both got up and hugged me and said they were sorry for picking on me. I didn't believe them for a second as they did this shit to me all the time.

"Hey, I think it's time to get serious. We have other things to talk about." They rolled their eyes as I tried to change the subject.

"Edward, are you saying that STDs are not serious? What about unplanned pregnancies?"

Bella crossed her arms and glared at me and pretended to be mad. "Well?" she added.

"No, sweetheart," I said as I tried to placate her. "We need to talk about my little friend who I like to call Mr. Visa Card," I chuckled as I tried to change the subject again.

"Oh no, Dad, I'd rather discuss sex than credit cards with you any day," Carlie begged. "Please, Daddy? Let's talk about keg stands or drugs. Yeah… drugs." Damn, she was good, but it would not work this time.

I did feel bad because we had discussed it several times already on our trip, but it was an important topic and deserved to be repeated. "I know you hate to talk about this, love bug, but I want to make sure you understand that you can't just buy, buy, buy and think that it's okay. You get it, right?" I asked. "You have a budget that you need to stick to."

We are not the Bank of Cullen. 'In Cullen We Trust'

"Ugh, I know, Dad. You've told me this a gazillion times." Carlie looked directly into my eyes and clearly pronounced every word like I was a dummy. "I understand that I have a budget and even though the card has my name on it, you and Mom can and will revoke it at any time. Satisfied?" she huffed.

I guess I did sound like a broken record. "Yes, I believe you get it," I sighed.

Bella added, "If you find that your budget is too low we can always look into it again, okay? Mainly what your father is asking is that you communicate with us. That's all. We trust you."  
Bella got up and grabbed her shower bag and robe.

"Now, you two play nice while I go take a shower. I love you guys."

Bella shut the bathroom door and I got up to rummage through my bag. I had planned this moment ahead of time with Bella. I needed to do it for my own sanity. I pulled out a necklace with a beautiful old fashioned key pendent dangling from it. I just hoped I could get through this on my own.

"Um, love bug, can you sit by me for a minute? I have something I'd like to give you."

Carlie nodded and scooted up on the bed next to me. "Sure, what's up?"

I had a hard time deciding where to begin. "Well, your mom and I bought you a gift and we hope you like it," I said. "I've told you the meaning behind my tattoo more times than I can count. You know the two roses represent you and your mom. You also know the locket is the door to my heart and my love for both of you. I added the ribbon banner to the design with 'Cullen' to remind us that we are a family."

"Yeah, I know." Carlie looked confused. She wondered where I was going with this. Maybe she thought they made gift cards for tattoos?

"Well, I remember when you were three years old, you had asked me where the key was because you couldn't see it and I told you it would always be in your heart.

"Lift your hair up, please, and turn around." As she pulled her hair up off of her neck and turned, I clasped the necklace with the pendent around her neck. "Now, even though you won't be with us every day, you will know that you still hold the key to my heart." A tear ran down Carlie's cheek.

"This is the same key that your Mom had tattooed on the back of her neck," I whispered softly. "We know how much you love our tattoos and thought we could give you a piece of ourselves to carry with you," I said as I looked up into her teary eyes.

"Daddy…" Carlie began crying. "I'm going to miss you guys so much." I reached around to hug her.

"I'm scared, Dad," she quietly admitted.

I held her tighter to my chest. Ironically, her face was resting on my tattoo.

"Oh, baby, I know it can be scary. We've both been in your shoes," I said softly as I stroked her hair to try and relax her. "Why are you scared?"

Carlie went on to tell me her fears - separation from us, making new friends or just not fitting in, getting lost, and bad grades were her biggest worries.

"Are you disappointed in me, Dad?" Carlie asked out of the blue.

"What for?"

"Because I didn't declare a major and I don't have a clue of what I want to do with my life?" she asked while she began to pick at her fingernails. At least she wasn't crying anymore. I hated to see her cry.

"Carlie, I went to school for premed for three years because I thought I wanted to be a doctor like my dad. I had to practically start college over because I was too stubborn to listen to my heart.

If I would've taken the time to decide what I wanted to do to begin with, I would have saved my own mom and dad thousands and thousands of dollars." I lifted Carlie's chin so I could look at her.

"I wish I would've made the decision you made to take my time." It was true. I had many regrets about my early years in college. I spent eight years in college total - three wasted years and then five years to earn a degree in Architecture.

"So you're okay with paying for me take a bunch of lame classes for a while?" Carlie asked like she didn't believe me. After all my talks about money over the past few days, I guess I could understand why.

"Sweetheart, I just want you to be happy. If it takes you two years to decide what you want to do, your mom and I are fine with that.

"I gave you the pendent to show that you have owned my heart since the day I knew you existed, so it doesn't matter what you choose to do or even if you decide college isn't right for you. We will love you no matter what." I kissed her cheek.

"You will always be one of the two best things in my life. Never doubt that. I love you."

"I love you, too, Daddy. You're right, though. I need to stop worrying and get out there to figure it out."

Carlie reached up and touched her key pendent. "Thanks, Dad. You and Mom are the best parents I could've ever dreamed of having and I'm going to miss you every single day. I'm glad I can look at the pendent and know I'm not alone." Carlie reached out and held my hand.

"I'm so proud to call you my Daddy."

God, she owned me. If she only knew the power she had over me.

"I love you, sweetheart. If you need anything, you make sure you call or text us. We are only _six_ states away," I said as sarcastically as I could so I could take a dig at my wife. Carlie knew it and laughed.

"You know, you're going to be in so much trouble with Mom when I tell her you just made fun of her?"

"You wouldn't dare. I could tell your new roommate about the time when you ate…" I mumbled as Carlie put her hand over my mouth.

"Fine, your secret is safe for now," I said after Carlie removed her hand. By this time, Bella was coming out of the bathroom, smiling at us. Carlie walked over to hug her mom and thank her for her gift.

It was the last night of our vacation as Carlie would be checking into her dorm the next afternoon. She wanted to live in off campus housing, but Bella and I told her she would need to experience dorm life to appreciate college.

**~~~ TL ~~~**

Sounds from outside of the office where I paced brought me back from my thoughts. We had so many happy memories as a family that led us to Carlie's wedding. I needed to get past my sadness and be happy for my little girl.

I knew Bella would have my balls if I was the reason behind anything else that went wrong. She thought I was out to sabotage the wedding because I did not want Carlie to marry the dog, _I mean Jake_. I really needed to work on calling him 'Jake' as Bella would have my balls for that, too.

"Edward?" Bella practically whispered. She must have known I was lost in thought.  
As I turned to answer her, I was stopped by the way she looked. I couldn't believe how beautiful my wife was in her new dress. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail. Bella did not wear much makeup, but what little she had on made her even more beautiful.

I whispered, matching her shushed tone, "Bella, you look unbelievably beautiful, love. You need to change out of that dress, though."

"Why?"

"It's not fair to Carlie that her Mom looks more beautiful than her on her wedding day." By the time I finished talking, I had already reached where she stood in front of the door and had started to bring her into an embrace when those plans came to a halt.

"Don't you dare hug me, Edward Anthony Cullen. First of all, you're on my shit list, buddy. I'm still mad at you for the stunt you pulled last night. Secondly, your daughter is anxious to see you and if you hug me now, I know you will try to take it to a level that is inappropriate, especially in the church where our daughter is about to get married." _Damn!_ My wife always knew how to put me in my place, even twenty seven years later.

"Also, Emmett already filled me in on your conversation with him earlier and after cussing in church, you may want to behave if you don't want to really end up in Hell one day."

"But he cussed, too."

Bella sighed, "Listen, you big baby, I'm not married to Emmett, so I don't care what he does. I have a hard enough time keeping you in line."

"You're right, love. I _will_ try to control myself and I won't hug you, either. But I sure could use one of your hugs right now. I'm going through a lot here, ya know?" Why couldn't anyone understand what I was going through? Why did they not see that my baby girl was going to marry some dog, then run off into the sunset and forget all about me?

_Hold up! Why did I still act so damn childish? I really am a selfish bastard. Shit._

A smile appeared on Bella's face and she brought her hands up to my chest and gently rubbed my tattoo. It made me feel even more vulnerable as I remembered why it was there.

"Honey, I know you're having a hard time with letting Carlie go. She really isn't going anywhere though, Edward. She's just getting married and we're getting the son we never had but always wanted. She will always be our daughter, so please get past whatever your issue is and be happy for both of them today," she said. "If I had any doubts about him or their marriage, I would understand, but I don't. I may be sad that our little girl is all grown up, but I don't have anything else to be sad about. We have all of our family and friends here to celebrate with us. Let's enjoy the day with them. Who knows when everyone will be together like this again?"

She suddenly stopped and pulled my face down to hers, giving me a chaste kiss before reaching up on her tippy toes to whisper in my ear. "I promise to take every thought and worry you have away after we get back to the hotel room. I even brought along some presents… just… for… you, Mr. Cullen," she purred as she gently placed a kiss on my neck.

The smile crept up on my face. I loved how my wife could take away my worries. I would be a dumb ass not to go along with her or I would not get my presents tonight.

I pulled her face to mine, going for another chaste kiss, but as soon as her lips met mine, my body took over and I swept my tongue against her bottom lip so I could deepen the kiss. Again, my plans were cut short.

"No way, Mr. Cullen, not until after the pictures. I want my makeup perfect for them," she stated as she backed away from me.

"Fine." My inner child came out to play again and I was annoyed that my wife would not give me a proper kiss in my time of need.

"I love you more than anything, Edward. We'll have time for kisses later. It's time to get our daughter married and the reception completed without anything going wrong," she said as she started to walk away from me and towards the door, but turned back to give me more instructions as if I was a child.

"I'm going out there to get Carlie. She wants to talk to you alone. You will _not_ make her cry. You will _not_ say one bad thing about Jake. You will _not_ do the whole cliché Dad thing and say 'there's still time to run away'. Do you understand me, Edward?" Her pointer finger poked me and moved in sync with her words so quick I could not keep up with it.

I wanted to answer her with '_Yes, Drill Sergeant!_', but again, I liked to have my balls intact.

"Yes, honey," I said with a huge sigh. I really did not want to agree to anything. You bet your ass if my daughter said she did not want to marry the dog and wanted to run away, I would make it happen.

I turned back to the window and looked out as the guests arrived. They all looked so happy. I guess I needed to put my game face on and look happy, too. I really did not want to upset Carlie or make the day uncomfortable for our guests because of my stupidity. Yes, I knew I was being stupid, but I didn't really care.

"Daddy?" My sweet girl's voice broke my thoughts. In that moment, I knew I needed to let my issues go and just enjoy the day.

I turned to face my daughter, the blushing bride.

"Love bug…" was all I could say. Tears had started to form in my eyes, giving me a stinging sensation. My baby girl took my breath away. I stood frozen in my spot and I could not even move towards her. My feet felt like they were in a block of cement. Good thing Carlie sensed my state of shock and made the short journey to me.

"How do I look, Daddy?" she asked as she twirled around and caused the layers of her dress to flare out. It reminded me of the many times she would dress up as a princess and spin around to show me her clothes. Bella loved to make her princess outfits.

Carlie's hair flowed down her back and was styled with soft curls throughout. She had just a slight hint of pink lipstick and her eyes sparkled a shade of green I did not think I had ever seen before. My baby girl looked amazing. She looked like a woman in love.

It was a moment in time I would never want to forget. It also made me finally realize that what Bella said earlier was true. Our Carlie was not a little girl anymore; she was a woman. I had to set her free.

"Beautiful, baby girl. Always beautiful," I said as I _finally_ came to my senses after seeing my daughter so happy and said the first thing that came to my mind. I tried not to cry, but it happened anyway. I felt a tear come down my face. Before I could reach for it, my daughter's hand was there to wipe it away.

"Please don't cry, Daddy. I know you're not too thrilled about my wedding. I love Jake and he loves me and we want to start our future together. There isn't a reason to be sad because Jake's a good man and he'll take care of me." Her eyes pleaded with me to understand. It broke my heart to see that my crazy, over-protective dad actions had caused her heart to ache. That really was the last thing I wanted and I needed to make things right.

"No, Carlie, stop. You don't need to explain anything to me." I stopped myself and had to prepare to say the words I knew I needed to say, even if deep down I never wanted to admit to myself that they were true.

"I do agree with you that Jake is a good man. I know he has never treated you wrong or disrespected your mom or me in any way. I can see that he will always take care of you. I'm grateful for all of this. I'm not mad you have chosen to marry him. It's just so hard to see you all grown up and not need me anymore." The tears that formed in my eyes stopped me. I was about to give my daughter away and I did not want her to feel guilty about doing what was right for her.

"I love you, Carlie. I've loved you from the minute I found out your mom was pregnant and I will love you until I take my last breath. One day when you and Jake have kids you will understand how hard it is to let go and stand back and watch while they go on through life.

I needed to apologize for my outburst from the previous night. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you and Jake in front of everyone. It was childish of me. I don't have an excuse big enough to earn your forgiveness, but in time I hope you'll forgive your old man." I grabbed her hands in mine and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. It was her turn to stop me. She had always been so much like Bella when it came to putting me in my place.

"_Maybe_ I'll forgive you," Carlie teased. I did not expect that. "I'm okay, Dad. I made a bet with Jake that you wouldn't be able to get through the night without saying something to offend my future in-laws. Even though what you did was _so_ wrong, I did win the bet. So thanks to you I won't have to clean our toilets for a year." My daughter's sense of humor amazed me as she forgave me. She got her sense of humor from her mom, obviously.

"Seriously, Daddy, just because I'm getting married doesn't mean I'm going to live a life where you won't exist." She paused and I could tell she was the one tearing up. "You will always be a part of my life and I will always need you. I actually got a little present to show that I'll always be a part of you and Mom."

She wiped away her own tears as I stood there with my mouth slightly opened, thinking about what she said. I felt stupid that I had been a jerk. I was not going anywhere and would always be a part of her life. I would always be there for my daughter no matter what she and Jake chose to do.

I hadn't realized I had never responded until she started to turn around and pull her hair up.

"Carlie, don't mess your hair up. Your mom will kill me if I'm the reason your pictures aren't perfect." I started to reach out to her to take her hands out of her hair, but the fear of my wife made my hands stop before they touched her curled locks.

"You have _that_ right. Mom will kill you if you mess up anything related to my wedding. Good thing for you she already knows about this, so if my hair is slightly messed up it won't be your fault and Mom won't have to punish you," she said as she started to pull her hair higher and then I noticed that she had something there.

I squinted my eyes to see what she wanted to show me.

My daughter had a tattoo that was identical to her mom's tattoo on the back of her neck. Not only was it in the same spot as Bella's, Carlie had chosen to get an intricate key. The key was hanging from a ribbon that said 'forever' written on it in cursive. My tears started up yet again and I did not try to hide them. Only my daughter could make me turn into a complete sap. Not even Bella held this amount of power over me.

My daughter marked her body with something that linked her to Bella and I in a way she knew I would consider sacred for our family. It was beyond thoughtful that she had considered it as a gift to me.

I was speechless, but didn't want her to think I didn't like it.

"Love bug," I choked out. "It's beautiful. Did you really get this for me?" Stupid question, I know, but I wanted to hear my daughter's words to know that she understood how strongly I felt about her decision.

She turned back around to face me and looked into my eyes with so much love it almost took my breath away.

"Yes, I did, Daddy. I know you've said that your tattoo is a family crest for us and how it really belonged to me and Mom since we're the only ones that could open your heart." She let her hair fall back down and turned around to face me before she continued.

"I wanted to show you that just because I'm getting married, it doesn't change anything between you and me. I will _always_ be your daughter and you will _always_ be my daddy. You are a fabulous dad, even though you get all crazy on me. I know you do it out of love and I also know I can go to you and Mom for anything I may need. No matter what we're doing or where we end up, we are always connected, and not just by this tattoo."

I could tell she started to ramble on and on because I had not said much since she showed me her tattoo.

I needed to hold my daughter one last time while she was still a Cullen, and not yet a Black. I reached out for her and pulled her into me and tucked her under my chin. I could have cared less if her hair was messed up for the pictures and Bella would have to get over it. I needed to hold my baby girl.

I took a couple deep breaths while I enjoyed her scent. I needed to find the right words to express everything I was feeling at that moment.

Gratitude. Pride. Excitement. Sadness. But most of all... love.

"I love you so much, love bug. I'm so sorry I made the last couple days unbearable for you and Jake. This is your day to shine and my childish ways have clouded that." I squeezed her tighter, saying a couple more apologies silently.

"I think your tattoo is beautiful, honey. I'm thankful you truly understand how deep my feelings are for you, and you're right, it's like our family crest. I feel so honored that you would get a tattoo that ties you to your past when you are building the foundation of your own family," I said as I held back every emotion I could. I was a man with some pride after all; I couldn't continue to be such a cry baby.

Carlie took some pity on me and decided that our tender moment was over. She unwound her arms from around my waist, kissed me on the cheek, and walked over to the mirror where she fluffed her hair. She looked up and winked at me.

"It's time. Jake has been waiting too long already."

All I could do was nod my head with a smile on my face as she started towards the door.

Her smile was as big as one could be and then it dropped a little. She looked back at me with a serious expression on her face and the sparkle that lived in her big green eyes whenever she was excited.

"You will always hold the lock to my key, Daddy," she whispered as she blew me a kiss and turned to walk out the door towards her future.


	10. Please Forgive Me

**Please remember to read all 11 entries before voting : )**

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**Title: Again**

**Author: Random Nonsense Unlimited  
**

**Rating: Teen**

**Characters: Bella and Jacob**

**Song: **_**Please Forgive Me**_** By Bryan Adams**

**Featured Line: "Please forgive me I can't stop lovin' you."**

Jacob Black sat alone in his tiny room and wondered why life doesn't turn out the way you want no matter how hard you try. In his hand was a battered Polaroid; he had looked at it so many times over the years. The white border had begun to peal away due to being handled so often, the once vibrant colors had begun to fade but the picture was still very dear. Held in stasis were two children, the girl a bit older than the boy, they were playing in the sands of First Beach and the grins on both faces were so wide.

The tears slid down his face as he thought about that day, the day he fell in love with Isabella Swan. He lived for those two weeks that sad girl came to visit; even then he had only wanted to make her smile. She broke his heart without even knowing it when she finally convinced her father that she didn't want to come to Forks to see him. It had not just been Charlie that had wanted to see her, but Jake had never spoken up; he had never told her how he felt. When his dad broke the news that Bella wouldn't be coming to visit he was hurt deeply but in the end he just wanted her to be happy and so he didn't bring it up again.

When Charlie bought the truck and told him Bella was coming to stay for good his heart felt like it was going to burst. He couldn't wait to make her smile again, but it still wasn't his time yet. He got one visit from her and then the next he knew she was dating Edward Cullen, his heart broke for a second time.

Then that freak left, and he left the most amazing girl in the world broken in his wake. Jake spent many a sleepless night worrying about how to put Bella back together again. Many times he had started to go to her only to stop at the threshold of his small house, afraid that he would be turned away when he got to her. But that changed the day she came to him, when Bella showed up at his house with the motorcycles he knew it was his chance.

At first it was difficult. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her that all was right in the world but she wasn't ready for that. Instead he had to tread lightly; he had to make her smile.

"_Bella, can you pass me that wrench, I forgot to grab it before I got the pieces lined up?" She looked up at him slightly confused clutching a can of root-beer in her hand and tentatively picked up the small wrench he was nodding at and held it out to him. "Thanks, it's great to have an extra set of hands around."_

_She blushed, "You're welcome." and then there it was, the tiniest of smiles, a bit of a turn in the corners of her lips, but a smile none the less and his heart sang to see it._

After that day it became easier to get her to smile, to show her that he valued her presence. It became his mission in life to show her how much he loved her. Everyday she was getting better and everyday they were getting closer to each other.

"_So some friends of mine at school wanted to get a group together to go to the movies this weekend." Jake looked up wondering what she was trying to say but waited patiently for Bella to continue. "Would you want to... come with us?" Her face was bright red at this point and she had looked away from him so she didn't see his smile._

"_Sure, sure. I think that would be great Bella, can I drive though?" Nothing against the truck, but now that the rabbit was running perfectly he wanted to show it off._

"_Sure, sure." Bella replied and then giggled self-consciously as she realized her adoption of Jacob's signature response. Her laughter only made him happier._

Then it was his turn to fail her. When he had first phased he had wanted nothing more than to see her, to tell her about this amazing thing that had happened to him, to tell her that the stories were all true. They wouldn't let him though, he was watched all the time and Sam had ordered him not to say a word. He fought with his father for the first time he could recall, not that they had never disagreed before but never like this. Jacob had never raised his voice to his dad before that night.

"_You just don't understand! She needs me! Do you realize what this is going to do to her? I love her, I can't just stay away from her!" He was so angry he was crying at this point. Despite his new found size there was nothing he could do to hold back the emotion that burst forth when he screamed at the man before him. He had started to shake and had to fight the change that threatened to take him over, the tears stemmed the emotion enough that he could hold back, barely._

"_Son, I do understand, believe me, but you can't be around her. She wouldn't be safe." Jake's eyes snapped to his father's as he stared in disbelief. "Look at yourself right now. I can tell that you are having to fight tooth and nail to hold yourself together. Do you want Bella to end up like Emily? It only takes one slip and then you can't take it back." Billy's words made sense but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. He had to stay away to protect her._

There have been many times that he has wondered if things may have turned out differently if he hadn't had to push her away then. If he hadn't broken her trust maybe she would have thought twice before she let the vampire come back into her life. She wouldn't be breaking his heart again and he wouldn't be miserable.

The bloodsucker has been back for weeks now, and Jake hardly gets to even see Bella and it's always only on Edward's schedule. She lets him dictate her life like an ignorant child and it's infuriating. Bella is a strong amazing woman, she can take care of herself and that freak should not try to keep her away.

A glance at the clock tells Jake that his pity party has lasted long enough, it's time to go meet the bloodsucker at the border and collect Bella. The drive there was short but he didn't have long to wait before that obnoxious Volvo pulled up and his favorite person climbed out the passenger seat. Jake tried to be the bigger man and ignore his least favorite person climbing out of the driver side. She hadn't been here since the bonfire but tonight it would be just the two of them, he was determined to make the best of it.

When she finally made her way to him he opened his arms on reflex and Bella walked into his embrace. As he held her close to him he looked up to see Edward drive away, his thoughts were safe now, they couldn't be overheard. Jacob took a moment to enjoy the closeness of Bella. Her scent, though masked by the sickly sweetness that is distinctly vampire, was still there. Under everything she was still Bella and he reveled in it until she pushed him away.

"So what do you want to do tonight? We could go walk on the beach, or go back to my place and watch a movie." He wasn't sure how to proceed, he wanted to talk with her but he wasn't sure how to go about it. "I could just give you some time to yourself, I know _he_ never leaves you alone."

"Jake... don't. I know you don't like Edward," understatement of the century. "But for my sake, please don't say things like that around me." How could he deny her anything? Jake bowed his head in assumed shame, though inside he was listing a litany of Edward's faults, he would not say them out loud. "The beach would be nice, the sky is clear for once, we could watch the stars."

"Your wish is my command, the stars it is." He jibed as he opened the passenger door for Bella. Jake drove back to his house to park the car and they walked the short distance to the beach. She didn't seem as happy as she had been before Edward's return. Back in what Jacob thought of as the glory days in his garage she had smiled all the time but now the old sadness had sunk back in, once again Jake vowed to make her smile.

Bella stumbled over a small branch on the path and again on reflex Jacob extended his hand to her. Much to his delight she did not let go after she regained her footing. They walked hand in hand the rest of the way to the beach, stopping to remove their shoes when they reached the sand.

The sand was slightly warmed from the day that had just ended so even though there was a slight chill in the air, the shifting ground was still comfortable to bare feet. They settled side by side to watch the stars and Jacob again claimed Bella's hand.

"I've missed you." He spoke so softly that the words couldn't travel far but Bella still heard them.

"I've missed you too." She murmured back turning on her side to look at him. "I really have, Jake. When you're not being a jerk you are great to be around." She teased, hitting him lightly on his shoulder. There was no chance of her actually hurting the mighty shape-shifter but he rubbed the spot just the same feigning pain he didn't feel. "Oh come on we both know there is no way that actually hurt you. Heck if I had hit you harder it would only have hurt my hand."

"True, but the fact that you felt it necessary to hit me does hurt my pride." Jacob stuck out his bottom lip and widened his eyes in his best sad-puppy face. Bella laughed a him and once again the light was back in her eyes, her smile didn't go away when she finished laughing either. Mission accomplished for now, he just needed to keep it that way. "Do you remember the first time our dad's brought us out here?"

"Oh, god. I think I was about four years old and you knocked over my sand castle and made me cry."

"I didn't do it on purpose, I was almost as clumsy as you back then." This time he caught her hand before she could actually hit him and then solved the problem by wrapping his arms around her. After a brief and futile struggle Bella gave up and just laid her head on his chest. "I made up for it though didn't I?" He had handed her a pail full of sand and told her to dump it on his head. She complied and then hit him with the pail.

"Yeah, then at least I could hit you without hurting myself. You always have been good at cheering me up?" She let out a small sigh, if it hadn't been for his heightened senses Jake would have never heard it.

Bella shifted and snuggled closer against Jacob, "Comfy?" he asked, not knowing where to take the conversation but delighting in having her body so close to his.

"Warmer this way." Bella replied and in response Jake tightened his hold on her. One advantage of his supernatural wolfiness is that he is now a walking, breathing, heating pad.

They stayed silent and watched the stars, it was a novelty on the Olympic peninsula to be able to see them at all since both nights and days were usually overcast. "Cassiopeia is out." Bella spoke sometime later. She reached up to point out five stars that looked somewhat like the letter 'W.' She sat up slightly and turned to look at him, still holding her hand up. "Do you see it?"

Jacob leaned closer as if trying to find where she was pointing, he knew the constellations but there was no reason to spoil Bella's moment by being a know-it-all, that was Edward's game. "We call that one The Third Wife. You heard that story at the bonfire."

"Oh do you have names for all of them?" Dropping her arm Bella let Jake pull her back to where she was once again resting on his chest.

"Some." He intertwined his hand with hers and aimed it again at the sky, almost as if he were holding a gun. "That one there." I centered her index finger on the Big Dipper. "That's the wolf." Jake heard a light chuckle at that. "What?"

"Nothing, I should have known that the bear would have become the wolf, kind of obvious really. Do you have a name for that one?" She pointed to Cygnus, which was vaguely cross shaped. "Is that the cold-one." Her tone was slightly mocking but at least she was enjoying herself.

"No Bella, you forget that our legends go back further than our history with Christians, plus both of us know that crosses have nothing to do with vampires. That one is called 'The Tribe.' The elders did not paint the cold-ones into our skies out of fear that they would be watching and could find us easier. It's superstitious but somehow with everything that has happened I can't just take it for granted, I find myself wondering if there is no such thing as just a superstition after all." He grew quiet after that monologue and just stared up at the stars, releasing Bella's hand reluctantly to brush some of her hair out of his face.

She shifted from her position against him and he started to worry that he had said something wrong, but she just looked up at him and smiled. "Sounds like someone has grown up a bit these past few weeks." Much to Jacob's surprise, Bella stretched her tiny body up and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.

Her sudden movement had caused Jake to turn his head toward her and Bella's lips instead found his own. Lightning shot though him at the contact and he couldn't help but try to make it last. He moved his lips against hers, trying to be gentle but also trying to put in over a decade of feelings, trying to show her how much he loves her.

Bella stiffened beside him and pulled away. When Jake opened his eyes he saw shock written across Bella's face and she scrambled a few feet away from him. "Bella..." he started to speak and she cringed, "Please forgive me..." she curled into herself and refused to meet his eyes. "I can't stop lovin' you." There were no other words to explain what he had done. He took her simple show of affection and turned it into so much more.

The tears began to fall from her eyes then and he gathered her back to him. They remained sitting in the sand as he cradled her slight frame trying to figure out how to fix the situation. Right then he just wanted to go back to looking at the stars and enjoying her closeness but that wouldn't happen now. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you, I just couldn't help it, I've loved you for so long." He realized he was babbling so he shut up and just held her close.

"No." Bella gasped out between sobs and Jacob felt as if his heart was grasped in someone's fist, that single word would be his undoing, but she was still speaking. "Don't be sorry, I don't want you to be sorry."

Jacob wasn't sure how to process what she had said. Did she not want an apology? Was there more to it. Using a single finger he lifted her jaw until her face was in front of his own. "Please tell me what you want Bella, tell me what you feel." Her eye's were closed as if she didn't want to look at him but when he fell silent again she opened them. As her eye's met his own there was something there that hadn't been before.

Wonder of all wonders Bella smiled when her eyes met Jacob's and she found the strength to end the tears and speak. "Don't be sorry for loving me. You have been so much for me and I took it for granted. When we kissed I was startled because I hadn't expected to feel anything. But I did. I felt everything and it scared me." She continued to hold his gaze and tentatively raised a hand to stroke his cheek. "Jacob, my Jacob, I love you too." This time the kiss was deliberate. Her lips were soft and warm, slightly salty from her tears. She matched him movement for movement, her passion melding with his own. It was sweet and perfect and all at once Jacob felt like he was in heaven.

Nothing else mattered, he had finally told Bella how he felt and she had accepted it and amazingly she loved him too. He deepened the kiss, lightly opening her mouth with his tongue, giving her the freedom to pull away if it was too much. Instead she opened her mouth wider and greeted his tongue with her own. Bella shifted her weight to where she was practically in his lap and clung to him tightly.

When they broke away finally Jake stared at the woman he loves, "Say it again, please." He gasped out still in awe.

Bella's smile claimed her whole face as she clung to him impossibly tighter. "My Jacob, I love you too." and once again that night his lips were brought to hers.


	11. Poster Girl

**Please remember to read all 11 entries before voting : )**

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**Author: NoWayWithWords**

**The assigned song is "Poster Girl" by the Backstreet Boys from their 2005 album, "Never Gone"**  
**Lyrics used in the story (not necessarily in this order):**

**_…"What good is tomorrow without a guarantee?"_**

**_…nothing's forever in this crazy world_**

**_…no woman in the world ever made me feel like my heart's on fire_**

**_…Tell me what you want from me_**

**_…I've got everything you need_**

**Poster Girl**

**BPOV**  
**April 7, 2010**  
"Oh shit, Bella – _run_!" Maria screamed as she, Nettie and Luci scattered in opposite directions.

I took off like a shot from outside the Macy's, discarding the oversized bag with the designer dress and shoes that I had stuffed inside, but the mall rent-a-cop was gaining on me. He definitely wasn't Paul Blart, Mall Cop, rolling after me in hot pursuit at top speed on a Segway. I cut through the Food Court, somehow managing not to maim myself on any of the tables or chairs. I was eyeballing the entrance to the women's restroom to make my getaway, but the entire Aventura Mall Security force was already waiting there for me. The other girls were nowhere to be seen.

_Shit! How did I ever let myself get into this mess? _I thought as Mall Security hauled me off to lock me up in the detaining room of their facility, 350 miles from home. So much for a fun Spring Break in Miami.

Fuck. My. Life.

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Life in Phoenix had been wonderful. I lived with my mom, Renee, although it would be easier for people to consider me the mother and her the child, since we would have gone without food and electricity if I hadn't done the shopping and made sure the bills were paid. I made straight A's in advanced placement classes in school, had great friends, and a pretty good outlook on life. I was the most responsible sixteen-year-old anyone ever met.

All that changed when my cougar mom got remarried and we moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Her new boy-toy husband, Phil, had signed with the Jacksonville Suns, the local minor-league baseball team.

I started my junior year at First Coast High School in Jacksonville, with hope in my heart for what the future might bring, but it became readily apparent that the upper echelon of the student body had no intention of accepting me. I ate alone, studied alone, went to my classes alone, and had resigned myself to spending the next two years alone. The pattern continued for several weeks until three girls approached me before school one morning. They were the kind of girls that I had never fit in with before, the ones more interested in getting drunk and/or high and getting laid than getting an education, but they welcomed me into their group with open arms.

Before long, Maria, Annette (everyone called her Nettie), Ana Lucia (Luci) and I were thick as thieves. Hell, we _were_ thieves. We shoplifted, "applied the five-finger discount" as Maria liked to call it, all the time at the mall. Before I met them, I had been an upstanding, law abiding daughter of a police chief. Truth be told, I only ever saw my dad for two weeks during the summers when we met at my grandmother's house in California. The rest of the year he was the Chief of Police of Forks, Washington, the rainiest, dreariest town on the planet. Now I had become a drinking, smoking, stealing hood-rat, but my girls accepted me and had my back. I was tired of always being a good girl, good student, and good citizen. Until Renee married Phil, I'd been the only adult in my house since I was old enough to read. _Fuck responsibility_. It was my turn to be young and impulsive. It was time to have fun and live for today, for _right now_.

Mom was never home enough to notice that my grades had slipped, my wardrobe was more revealing and much more expensive than she and Phil could afford, and my friends were not like the girls I had hung around with in the past. I took advantage of the situation as much as possible. Honestly, I was grateful to not be taking care of her for once. Phil did a pretty good job of seeing that we had food to eat and the bills got paid, so I could focus on _me_ for a change.

Nettie had arranged for the four of us to spend Spring Break in Miami at her aunt and uncle's house. She said they didn't live too far from the beach and that her uncle always had good weed. She also said he could fix us up with fake IDs to get into the hottest Miami clubs. It sounded like a plan to me.

I told Renee that Maria was driving us down to Miami on Saturday and we would be staying the entire week with Nettie's relatives. Renee barely raised her head from her mug of coffee to respond, "That sounds wonderful honey… you'll have a great time with your friends. Make sure you call me when you get there." Like she would remember that I had even gone once I was out the door. My scatterbrained mother couldn't remember what she ate for breakfast five minutes earlier.

Maria pulled up with Nettie and Luci, and honked the horn of her beat up primer-colored piece of shit Honda Civic while they waited outside for me. "C'mon bitch, let's get this show on the road!" she yelled as I wrestled with my bags. "Jesus, Bella, you don't need all that shit. We can 'shop' for whatever we want when we get there."

I rolled my eyes and threw my bags in the trunk with the rest of their stuff and then hopped in the back seat next to Luci. We had the seating arrangement color-coded: Latinas on the driver's side, white girls on the passenger side. Nettie was blonde, blue-eyed, tall, thin, and unlike me (who sported the perpetual moon-tan) managed to tan slightly. My pale skin refused to soak up the sun, no matter the proximity. Day in and day out of sunshine in both Phoenix and Jacksonville and my stubborn skin refused to darken in the least. My plain brown hair and plain brown eyes were the only contrast to the pasty skin tone of my plain body. Maria and Luci were the color of caramel, beautiful with their dark skin, dark eyes, dark hair and dangerous curves. In some ways, they reminded me of the hoochie-mama hostesses for the variety shows on the Telemundo and Univision channels.

Maria floored it and soon we were racing down the highway, Ke$ha and Taio Cruz CD's blasting on the stereo to get us in a party mood. We arrived at Nettie's aunt and uncle's posh residence about seven hours after we left, the trip made longer by our stop for lunch and then being stuck in traffic when we got to Miami. Nettie introduced us to her Aunt Victoria and Uncle James, who both hugged us tightly in welcome. I have to admit, the hug from 'Uncle James' felt a tad bit too friendly for comfort, but I was a guest in his home so who was I to complain?

The four of us got dressed up to go hit the clubs, wearing more makeup than clothing, all of us in mini dresses and stilettos, and 'Uncle James' handed us our fake IDs, looking us all up and down appreciatively. The man seriously gave me the creeps. He definitely shouldn't have been eye-fucking his own niece that way, while standing there with his arm around his wife's waist.

_Ewww_. _Dude, that ain't right_.

"Here's a little something to get the party started," he said, lighting up a joint and handing it to Maria after taking a hit. Maria, Nettie, and Luci shared and then passed it to me. I took a long drag, held it, and finally released it. Yeah, that definitely helped me feel ready to hit the clubs.

We piled back into Maria's craptastic car and drove toward Miami's South Beach hot spots. "There will be tons of college guys here on Spring Break, so we should be able to get drinks for free the whole time we're here," Maria pointed out enthusiastically. That was great, since Renee only gave me a hundred dollars for the whole week, and that would disappear the first night if we had to pay the cover charges to get into the clubs.

"And we won't have to worry about cover charges," Nettie added, as if she had read my mind. "Uncle James was kind enough to tell me a password to give at the door. Apparently, he has connections with all the club owners."

_Yeah, they've got to get their drugs from someone_…

The four of us strutted up to the front of the line waiting to get in the first club, Twist, and Nettie whispered in the doorman's ear. He waved us in, leering as we passed him, and we sashayed our way across the crowded room to the nearest bar. All we did was lean against it, and a crowd of guys surrounded us like vultures circling road kill. Maria and Nettie were right, we didn't have to buy a single drink or pay the cover charge to get into any of the clubs.

We all agreed that any hook-ups would take place on or near the premises, and that we would all get back together at the end of the night, so no one would be stranded without a way back to James and Victoria's house. I had no plans to hook up with anyone – even with the drastic changes to my lifestyle since we moved from Phoenix, I was still carrying my v-card. I knew that none of the other girls were still virgins, but it didn't bother me. I wanted to wait for someone special to lose my virginity to, and I had no intention of changing that plan by sleeping with some random manwhore frat-boy that I would probably never see again.

I danced for hours, random bodies pressed tightly together and undulating, just lost in the pounding beats. Every so often, I would stop for someone to buy me a drink and by the end of the night I was feeling no pain.

The four of us finally met back up. Maria and Luci looking a lot more disheveled than they had when we arrived, while Nettie and I looked relatively unscathed. 'Uncle James' was still up when we wandered back into the house, clad only in nearly-nonexistent running shorts that he must have worn back in the 80's. Judging by what the shorts didn't cover, he was obviously commando underneath. His beady eyes watched us like a hawk appraising an assortment of unattended small pets as we stumbled in, giggling like fools.

"How was your evening, ladies? Did you have a good time?" he asked, taking the time to rove over each of us with his lascivious gaze.

_You should be prowling around the old folks' home… come on, dude, leave us alone_.

"Yeah," we all chorused.

"It was great, Uncle James. Thanks so much for giving us the IDs and stuff," Nettie answered.

"No problem, lovely ladies, glad to help. Well, I'm heading to bed, make yourselves comfortable," he said as he stretched, flexing his biceps noticeably, trying to get our attention.

_I'm about to barf... Seriously._

The same pattern continued for the rest of the week, our days spent parading on the beach in scraps of fabric and our nights parading through the clubs in differently arranged scraps of college boys hunted us like packs of wolves tracking their prey; strategizing and splitting up to corner each of us. They were so predictable. We would lead them on, dance, and take their free drinks (making sure the bartender handed them to us directly – less chance of being slipped any kind of date-rape drug). In return, we let them grope a boob or grab an ass cheek, and then we'd laugh as we moved on to the next one. Maria, Luci, and even Netti managed to hook up with a few acceptable specimens, while I just sat back and enjoyed the freak show around me.

Nettie's flaming-haired aunt was rarely at the house when we were there. Apparently she was very busy with her real-estate deals at all hours of the day and night, but her shifty-eyed, stringy-haired, ferret-faced uncle was always present. On our fifth night in Miami, I was woken up by his hand on my breast and I completely freaked out. He and his nasty hand landed on the floor after my knee swiftly connected _hard_ with his groin. He lay moaning and writhing in pain, curled up in the fetal position with the aforementioned nasty hand cupping his junk.

"You goddamn cunt, you fucking broke my dick!" he screeched in falsetto.

I saw red.

_Oh HELL no, the sleazy motherfucker did NOT just call me THAT. It's ON._

"I hope I did break it, you creepy old bastard!" I screamed at him furiously as I landed a solid kick to his ribs. I was aiming somewhere lower, but I took what I could get. "What the _hell_ gives you the idea that it's okay to touch me?"

"I'm letting you stay in my house and eat my food, you ungrateful bitch! You think that shit's free?" He was yelling now, and Maria, Luci and Nettie had woken up and were restraining my arms dragging me away from him so I couldn't inflict further damage to his manhood. I struggled against their grip, overcome with my desire to literally kick the ever-living shit out of him. A wicked smile crossed my face as I envisioned him laid up in a hospital bed, encased in plaster and sporting a colostomy bag.

"I'm not a whore, so you can't take it out in trade, you lecherous fucker. I can give you some cash for letting me stay here, but you sure as hell aren't getting in my pants." I glared at him.

"Nettie, I can't stay here if this is how Uncle Perv is going to treat us."

"God Bella, I'm so sorry. I'm telling mom, Uncle James, and she's going to be pissed," Nettie spat.

"Your mom isn't going to do shit," James laughed cruelly, a sinister sound that sent chills down my spine. "She's won't want to lose out on getting her drugs for free."

"Fuck you, then. Let's go, girls. We can find a place to hang for the night," Maria ordered.

All of us grabbed our stuff and ran out to Maria's car. We high-tailed it out of the neighborhood and ended up sleeping in the car in the parking lot of an upscale shopping mall. The next day we decided to take the opportunity to do some 'shopping' at said mall, which led to my current predicament.

+-x-+-x-+-x-+-x-+

**April 17, 2010**

Renee hugged me tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks, before I went through security at Jacksonville International Airport. Phil waved sadly as I walked toward the rows of x-ray machines and placed my shoes and carry-on bag on the conveyor. I walked through the security portal and picked up my things as they emerged from the x-ray machine. At least they didn't pick me for a body cavity search – that would have been the icing on the cake. I had to change planes in Houston, but in just over eight hours of flight I would begin my new life. Charlie would be picking me up in Seattle and taking me to my final destination, Forks, Washington.

_Fucking Forks. Might as well call it what it really is… Hell._

I had been cast out of the Sunshine State for my transgressions. Renee finally decided to exercise her authority as a parent to a rebellious teen, and I had been sentenced to serve the remainder of my time as a juvenile in the most sunless location on the planet, under the watchful eye of my father, Police Chief Swan. She felt that my "so-called friends" were bad news since I was with them when I was arrested for shoplifting, and that I needed to be removed from their sphere of influence. In other words, now that she had someone else to take care of her, she washed her hands of me. I was Charlie's problem now.

**EPOV**

**April 19, 2010**

I never believed in fate, destiny, or anything that I couldn't be directly responsible for. I lived firmly by the philosophy that we were in charge of our own lives, and that we determined what the future held through our choices and our actions. I should have known that all the plans in the world meant nothing in reality, when a chain reaction that led to the complete upheaval of my life was set off by the arrival of one Bella Swan in the quiet town of Forks.

My family had moved to Forks from Alaska two years earlier. My dad, Carlisle Cullen, M.D., had taken a position at Forks Community Hospital, and my mother, Esme, decided it would be a good time to take a break from her interior design work to devote her attention to her children, me and my twin sister, Alice.

Alice and I were as different as night and day. Born nearly twenty minutes before Alice, I was tall –six feet, two inches – with green eyes and untamable reddish-brown hair, where Alice was miniscule – at barely five feet – blue-eyed with short, spiky black hair. I was reserved and analytical, "Sullen Cullen" was the name others called me behind my back. Alice, "The Tiny Tornado," was hyperactive and over-emotional. She was also my best friend. We shared a bond that allowed us to communicate with each other without using words.

We started our freshman year at Forks High School, where the students first regarded us with curiosity, then envy, and finally a sort of grudging respect. Our circle consisted of Emmett McCarty, a kind-hearted, giant man-boy who excelled in every sport he ever tried; his girlfriend Rosalie Hale, the inspiration for every evil ice queen character ever dreamed of, the "beautiful but heartless" type; and Jasper Whitlock, a lanky Texas transplant with an easy-going personality, who tended to have a calming effect on everyone around him. He and Alice were a couple. Their personalities balanced each other out perfectly. Where Alice was the amphetamine of our group, Jasper was the Valium.

The entire school had been gossiping about the arrival of "new blood," the daughter of Police Chief Swan. It was unusual for someone to start in a new school so close to the end of the school year, but rumor had it that she managed to find herself in serious trouble in Florida and had to be shipped off to boot camp with "Drill Sergeant Dad." She was most likely some hoodlum that would eventually end up incarcerated or married and spawning with some loser like Mike Newton. Either way, it wasn't my problem and I was better off steering clear of trouble. I had too much riding on my success as a student at Forks. I wanted to be assured of an Ivy League acceptance, so I didn't have time to worry about the new charity case.

"Dude, she's hot. Have you seen her?" Emmett asked just before our second period Spanish class started. "And you should see that beast of an old Chevy truck she drives. Rose will have a field day with that one."

Did I mention that Emmett's girlfriend was not only smoking hot, but she was seriously into cars as well?

"Like I care," I scoffed as I took my seat. "I'm really not interested in getting caught up in the new girl drama."

"I heard she got sent here after she tried to kill her stepfather because he was making moves on her. You might want to be careful to not piss her off," Emmet said, making a knife stabbing motion through the air with his fist. It looked more like something else to me, and it was my duty as his friend to let him know.

"Emmett, quit jacking off, I told you I could care less about the delinquent, so move on to the next subject please."

"Sure, dude. Whatever," Emmett shrugged.

Fortunately for me, Señora Goff interrupted whatever else Emmett was going to say, giving the two of us the stink eye before clearing her throat and directing our attention to the front of the room to begin the class. I had no desire to get into any kind of trouble, so I straightened in my chair and focused on the lesson.

At lunch the five of us were sitting in our usual spot when the new girl walked into the cafeteria. My breath caught as I watched her coming through the entrance. She was petite, with beautiful brown hair that flowed in waves to her waist, pale skin, and the most expressive brown eyes I had ever seen. I couldn't tell you what she was wearing, or if she even had clothes on, because I wasn't able to drag my eyes away from hers. The room might have been spinning sideways and I wouldn't have noticed.

Emmett elbowed me in the ribs and let out a low whistle. "Damn, dude. I told you so."

"You know Emmett, 'I told you so' has a brother and his name is 'shut the hell up!'" I glared at him for a second, before my vision was immediately drawn back to those bottomless brown eyes.  
Jasper took in the whole exchange, laughing under his breath. "Touchy, touchy, Edward. What's got your panties in a bunch?"

"Probably the three-ring circus the school has become over the new girl. I just want things to settle back to normal, so I can graduate with honors and get the hell out of here," I snapped, somehow managing to rip my gaze from the topic at hand.

She went through the lunch line, purchased an apple and a bottle of lemonade – not that I was taking notes or anything – and left the cafeteria. The students around her parted like the Red Sea as she walked through the room. I noticed that no one was brave enough to get in her way. She definitely had a "Don't fuck with me" air about her.

I turned back to the conversation currently in progress and realized I had absolutely no idea what it was about. I just nodded every now and then, pretending to pay attention, and let my mind wander back to the brown-eyed girl with the chip on her shoulder. The urge to get up and follow her was almost overwhelming, but I willed myself to stay in my seat until it was time to leave for class. I didn't even notice the bell had rung until Alice reached over and waved her hand in front of my face with just the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Hellooooo, you can go to class now, Edward," she said brightly, and then leaned to whisper in my ear, "Her name is Bella, and she _is_ beautiful," before turning to skip across the room to meet Jasper.

_Huh, that's weird. I never noticed Jasper leave the table_. _Wait? What, Alice?_

I turned to ask Alice what she was talking about, but she was already gone. The faint echo of the smile in her voice hung in the air around me like the Cheshire cat from _Alice in Wonderland_.

I headed to Banner's biology class, which ordinarily provided me with the opportunity to catch up on any sleep I may have missed for an hour. His class was a joke. I could literally pass it in my sleep. The only effort necessary on my part was to participate in the lab assignments and take exams. I had a table to myself, so no one ever bothered me. I landed in my seat and spread my books and papers across the table. For once I wasn't tired at all, as a matter of fact, my senses seemed to be strangely heightened. The air had a charge to it that reminded me of an approaching thunderstorm, like the warning tingles you supposedly get before being struck by lightning.

Just before the bell rang, the door opened and I stiffened in my seat. I felt, rather than saw her enter the classroom. I glanced up to see Banner handing her – _Bella_ – a textbook and pointing to my table. Of course the only empty seat in the room was the one next to me. She raised her eyes to meet mine as she walked slowly to our table. A parade of emotions crossed her expressive face in the time it took her to reach me: astonishment, fear, loneliness, longing, anticipation, suspicion, finally darkening to anger.

_Anger?_ Yeah, I recognized that one. She looked pissed. I'd need to tread lightly if the rumors were true and I didn't want to end up dismembered with my remains blazing in a dumpster.

I quickly moved my personal items from her side of the desk, stacked them neatly against the edge on my own side, and mumbled a quick apology. She took her seat and dropped her things on the table. A gust of air from the motion sent a wave of her delicious scent over me, strawberries and flowers. I nearly reeled from it. My mouth was watering.

_Get a grip, Cullen_.

She leaned toward me and I involuntarily gravitated in her direction. She narrowed her eyes and poked her tiny finger in my chest and I swear by all that's holy, sparks were shooting through my body from the point where she touched me.

"Let's just lay down some ground rules and everything will be cool. You don't bother me and I won't bother you," she said lowly. If her voice had been grating and girly, I might have had more than a snowball's chance in hell to resist her, but no, it had to be rough and completely sexy, and it made me harder than I had ever been in my entire life.  
I groaned and nodded blankly in response. I turned away before she could make eye contact with me again and kept my head down on the desk for the rest of the class.

This girl would be the death of me.

**BPOV**

_Jesus_. _I was in so much trouble_.

I was sitting next to the most beautiful guy I had ever seen in my entire life. He was pure perfection. He was tall, trim, muscular without looking like a steroid freak, had this glorious mess of coppery-brown sex hair, intense green eyes, and the most lickable jaw ever created. I'd heard the expression "sex on legs" used way too many times before, but I could see it was the absolute truth in his case. He was the definition of the term.

_Damn_.

When I saw him earlier in the cafeteria, I couldn't keep myself from nearly eye-raping him. He left me breathless just from looking at me, so I had to get out of there. I grabbed an apple and a drink and headed out behind the building, desperately wishing I had a cigarette. You know how people say they always want to smoke a cigarette after great sex, well… And that was just from seeing him across the room.

I knew I had to stay far, far away from him or I would undoubtedly end up with a broken heart. There was no way on earth someone as god-like as him would ever want a mere mortal like me.

We weren't even in the same universe.

I collected my fragmented thoughts and made my way to my next class, biology with Mr. Banner according to my schedule. A science class would be the perfect distraction for my poor brain cells to divert their focus away from the beautiful boy in the cafeteria. It's not like I wasn't intelligent. Before I fell in with Maria, Nettie, and Luci, I had always made straight A's in my science classes. Truth be told, I'd made straight A's in all my classes.

_Maybe I can get back in touch with my studious side, who knows? I'm sure Charlie would definitely appreciate the effort, and there sure as hell isn't anything else to do around here_. _Although I know exactly _who_ I'd like to do…_

_No! Get back on track. Focus, Bella. Right – biology_.

Once I finally found the right building and located the classroom, I handed my class slip to Mr. Banner and took the textbook he gave me. He pointed in the direction of my seat and I looked up to see the beautiful boy sitting at the only table with a vacant chair. Oh, the irony.

After I recovered from the initial shock, thoughts raced chaotically through my mind as I walked slowly back through the room to take my place by his side. I was terrified at the prospect of even attempting to carry on a conversation with this dazzling creature. What could I possibly say that he would want to hear?

I knew I would never fit in with the kind of people he considered friends, I'm sure they were all beautiful people, and that in all likelihood I probably wouldn't fit in with _any_ of the students at this Godforsaken school. I wondered what it would be like to have his attention and affection. As gorgeous as he was, he probably had a supermodel girlfriend who was exactly the right type of goddess to be seen at the side of a god like him. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be held in his arms, to be kissed by those full, pouty lips, and grasp the silky mess of his hair tightly between my fingers.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid Bella! Stop this shit right now!_

_Fantasizing about Mr. Male Perfection is going to do zero good, and you'll only end up embarrassing yourself. Everyone already thinks you're some sort of psycho serial killer._

I couldn't let him get to me. I would do whatever it took to shut him out. There was no use getting all worked up over something that would ultimately amount to nothing. The result could only be heartbreak.

When I reached the desk, he had moved the shit he had strewn across the table into a neat pile on his side. _Good_. I nearly slammed my book down on the table as I slid onto the stool. I could smell him, the scent of honey, lilac, and sunshine, and it made me dizzy.

_His scent is the most amazing thing I've ever smelled in my entire life_. _I want to bathe in it_.

_Not helping, Bella_.

_Okay, new strategy. Don't breathe_.

I had to nip this ridiculous infatuation in the bud. I leaned toward him, glaring at him as I poked his chest. When my finger made contact, it felt like I had stuck it in a light socket. An electric jolt ran through my body.

"Let's just lay down some ground rules and everything will be cool. You don't bother me and I won't bother you," I growled under my breath.

He nodded, mumbled something unintelligible, and turned away.

_Success!_

For some reason, it didn't feel like a victory.

**EPOV**

I couldn't concentrate on anything for the rest of the day. It was fortunate for me that I only had government left for the day. That was another no-brainer class that I could sail through without having to think. Thank God it was simply regurgitation of what we had already learned. I didn't have any room for new information, because my head was full of nothing but Bella.

_Bella, Bella, Bella…_

I had to find a way to exorcise this demon that had possessed my life. She made it painfully obvious that she wanted nothing to do with me. If I were in my right mind I would want to run far, far away from her as fast as possible. When had I ever let anything or anyone come between me and my goals? Why was I so preoccupied with her?

"Earth to Edward… Dude!" Emmett slapped my back as we headed to my car in the student parking lot. "Where the hell are you? You haven't listened to a word I've said."

Alice chuckled under her breath as she followed closely behind, whispering quietly enough for Emmett not to hear, "I'm pretty sure he's in _Be-la-la_ land."

I whipped around and cast a glare heated enough to melt steel. "You need to stay out of it, Mini Me. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Easy brother… calm down. I'm only teasing you. It's fun seeing you all flustered over a girl. I've never had the chance to do this before. You know I only want you to be happy," she said softly.

"Well, don't count on anything happening in that arena. She's made it perfectly clear that she's not interested in _me_. In fact, she told me to leave her alone, and I have every intention of respecting her request."

Alice looked at me skeptically with a raised eyebrow.

_Sure you do, Edward, and denial ain't just a river in Egypt._

+-x-+-x-+-x-+-x-+

I lay in bed that night, reviewing the day's events in my head, beginning with my first sighting of Bella in the cafeteria. I seemed to have no memory of time before that point. I mean, I had memories of my life all through childhood, but nothing seemed _significant_, as if I hadn't been really living until today. I had been running completely on autopilot through my life; eat, sleep, school, repeat. Everything was black and white, interspersed with splashes of gray. Bella's unexpected intrusion into my life was a Technicolor explosion and I had no idea how I was going to stay within the lines.

I tried to honor Bella's request to leave her alone, God knows I tried. For the rest of the week, except when we were required to work together to complete our lab assignments, I managed to ignore her. But as each day passed I came to understand how hopeless my attempt at pretending she didn't exist was. The more I was around her, the more I realized that she was exactly the girl I wanted. She couldn't see how beautiful she was and that none of the Forks girls could even hold a candle to her. Their beauty was plastic and fake where Bella's was natural and honest. She was smart, always spoke her mind – she had absolutely _no_ filter – and I wanted to be near her more and more each day.

_Resistance is futile._

Truer words were never spoken.

**BPOV**

His name was Edward Cullen. He was beautiful, brilliant, funny, and sarcastic as hell. In other words, he was perfect.

We tried ignoring each other at first, but it was an exercise in futility. We had to work together on labs, and despite my best efforts to shut him out, we became acquaintances. At some point I even considered him my friend, at least in class, since we never really interacted outside of the classroom.

He had this crooked grin that twisted my heart inside out every time I saw it. I learned that he never dated any of the girls in Forks because he could never be interested in "vapid girls that were too senseless to crawl out of a gene puddle." He was determined that nothing would keep him from achieving his dreams and aspirations. He was the most amazing person I'd ever met.

My every waking thought, and my dreams as well, centered around Edward Cullen. It was obvious to me that I had it bad, I just hoped he couldn't tell. I didn't need the embarrassment. There was no use for me to waste my energy thinking that I even had a chance with him, so I resolved to be thankful that we could at least be friends.

I still wasn't accepted by any of the other students, but I really didn't care at that point. As long as I had Edward to talk to, I could make it through whatever shit life threw at me.

**EPOV**

Bella told me about growing up in Phoenix, and how she had to be the parent to her flighty, self-centered mother. Her sadness at having to leave her life in Phoenix behind when her mother and stepfather relocated to Jacksonville was obvious. She even explained how she ended up being sent to live with her father in Forks.

"I never told anybody about what happened in Florida. I'd had enough of living up to everybody else's expectations of me and decided to live in the moment. My motto became 'live for right now' and I did exactly that. I thought that 'my girls' were real friends, but I found out that when things went bad, they were only concerned about themselves. Even Renee gave up on me when the going got tough. I'm just waiting for Charlie to throw me out when I eventually screw up here, too."

The sadness in her voice was palpable. My heart ached for her, and I had to stop myself from taking her hand in mine. When she let her walls down, I could see how fragile she really was. I knew she was afraid of emotional attachment because she'd been abandoned by the people she loved the most and I didn't want to scare her away. However long it took, I would prove to her that I had everything she'd need and that I would always be there for her.

+-x-+-x-+-x-+-x-+

**May 13, 2010**

"Cullen!" Bella yelled across the parking lot as I was getting out of my car.

I walked over to where she was sitting in the Red Beast with her window rolled down and leaned against her door.

"I love your shades," she laughed. "Ray-Ban Wayfarers, very suave. I approve."

"I'm glad to have your endorsement, Bella. What do you want?" I asked anxiously. I never knew what to expect next from Bella.

She leaned out the window until her lips were almost touching my ear and whispered enticingly, "Ditch with me. It's a beautiful day for once in Fucking Forks and I don't want to share you with the student body. Carpe diem and all that shit…"

"Bella, I can't," I whined, my shoulders sagging in disappointment. "I have a huge test in Calculus today and I can't miss it. I also have to finish a paper that's due in English tomorrow."

"Screw the test. Varner loves you. He'll let you make it up. And knowing you, your English paper has been done for a week and all you need to do is print it out for tomorrow. Besides, what good is tomorrow without a guarantee? You never know what could happen between now and then. Hell, there may not even _be_ a tomorrow. One thing I _do_ know is that you could use some fun _today_."

She put her hand on my forehead with a concerned look on her face and then winked exaggeratedly. "You look a little sick, poor thing, you must be feeling awful."

I sighed in resignation. "All right, if you insist." I was powerless to deny her anything. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. Have faith and follow me."

God knows I'd follow her anywhere.

"Let me text Alice. I'll let her know I'm feeling 'sick' so she can cover for me and get Jasper to give her a ride home," I reasoned.

As soon as I was in my Volvo following her, Bella barreled down the 101 out of Forks and then left onto 110. When she stayed on La Push Road, I figured she planned to spend the day at the beach.

_Wrong_.

We hiked along the shoreline a ways from where we had parked and then she led me on a path to the top of a cliff and pointed down.

"We're jumping."

"Fuck that! No way! You go ahead. I'll just wait up here and be ready to call 911," I said, stepping cautiously away from the edge. I wasn't a fan of heights to begin with and looking over the side of the cliff made me feel a little dizzy, or maybe it was just my proximity to Bella.

"Oh come on Edward, don't be such a pussy! Live a little… I swear it'll be fun."

"Fun until we die at the bottom… It's not the fall that kills you. It's the sudden stop at the end."

"Don't you trust me? I promise I'll keep you safe," Bella assured me. "Let's jump together. I can hold your hand."

I was willing to literally jump off a cliff to hold Bella's hand in mine. I swallowed my fear and took a deep breath.

"Ok, fine. I'll do it."

She smiled widely, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief.

"You'll have to strip down, your jeans and stuff will be too heavy to swim in when they get wet," she said as she kicked off her shoes and tugged her jeans down the length of her perfect legs.

I drew another ragged breath and stopped breathing when she took off her shirt.

_Oh. My. God. _

_I get to see Bella in her bra and panties. _

_I get to see Bella in her bra and panties, soaking wet._

I was going to die. I still couldn't breathe. I definitely couldn't tear my eyes away from the sight before me.

_At least I'll die happy_…

Bella bit her plump bottom lip, looked at me through her long eyelashes and with an exasperated sigh, grabbed the hem of my shirt.

"Lose the clothes, Cullen. NOW," she ordered. "You're holding up the show."

I released the breath I forgot I'd been holding and raised my arms to let Bella pull my shirt over my head. A trail of goosebumps appeared where her hands had brushed against my skin as she removed my t-shirt, and a shiver ran through me.

"Cold, Cullen, or scared?" she asked, arching her eyebrow at me mockingly.

"Both?" my reply came out as a question. "It's kind of breezy up here on the cliff top, plus being half naked only makes it colder, and it's a _long_ way down to the water," I answered, fidgeting under her appraising gaze. In an attempt to distract her focus, I undid the button on my jeans and slid the zipper down, trying not to stare at her mouth as she licked her lips and failing miserably.

I managed to get my jeans off without injuring myself in the process, but standing there in only my boxers I had a whole different issue to worry about.

_I am freaking hard as a rock. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck._

_Now what?_

Bella glanced down at the major tent action I had going in my boxers and smiled widely, her teeth gleaming in the sunshine.

"Nice," she teased, nodding at my glaringly obvious erection as it strained to free itself of its fabric confines.

_God, please kill me now_.

"Can we just jump already? I'm ready to die from embarrassment, and I'd appreciate it if we could hurry the process along," I squeaked.

"Jesus, Cullen, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. If anything, you should be proud to show that monster off, except you might want to protect it from the diseased skanks of Forks. And Yorkie… I've seen the way he eyeballs you like you're a piece of meat."

I chuckled nervously and Bella laughed with, or more precisely _at_, me. She grabbed my hand and I felt the jolt shoot through my arm directly to my chest. I imagined it was the feeling I would get from a set of fully-charged cardiac defibrillator paddles.

_Clear!_

"Are you ready?" she whispered into my ear.

"No, not at all. Let's get this over with and go on the count of three…" I replied. "One, two, three!"

We leapt from the cliff edge, and suddenly we were hurtling through the air, plummeting toward certain death. I was screaming like a girl and I didn't care if she heard me or not. By that point I was too preoccupied with dying to be embarrassed.

Half way down, I realized I was actually having fun. The feeling of the wind rushing over me was exhilarating, but the most exciting part was feeling Bella's hand squeezing mine tightly and hearing her laugh with pure joy.

I was falling hard, and I was falling fast, and gravity had absolutely nothing to do with it.

**BPOV**

I hadn't expected Edward to ditch school with me, so to say I was surprised when he agreed was the understatement of the century. He was always so serious about his grades and SAT scores, and which college he was going to attend. He had a tendency to over-think everything. I'm pretty sure Edward could over-think taking a dump.

He had no idea where I was taking him. It had to be driving him crazy.

I had heard stories about the local reservation kids coming to this spot to cliff-dive from Charlie's friend Billy Black. It sounded like fun, but definitely not something I'd want to do alone. Billy had a son who was a couple of years younger than me, Jacob, but he was too wrapped up in his girlfriend to want to hang out with the delinquent daughter of his dad's best friend. It worked out better that way. I'd hate to have Junior panting after me and I was absolutely not into the whole cougar thing. Besides, I'd much rather spend my time in the company of Edward Cullen than with anyone else in the world.

The look on his face when I told him we were jumping was priceless. I just wish I'd had my camera with me to capture it. I could clearly see the fear in his eyes. It was obvious he wasn't enjoying the idea of plummeting off a cliff a hundred feet to the ocean below. The fear morphed into something completely different when I started taking my clothes off, and it made my stomach flutter when I saw his green eyes darken as he watched me. When I helped him with his shirt, I couldn't resist the chance to touch his naked abs on the way up. My fingers nearly burned from the contact, the current between us was so intense.

And then he was down to just his boxers.

_Fuck me sideways_.

He was hard as hell in those boxers. I couldn't see how they could take the strain without splitting at the seams. The light trail of curls leading down into the point of the 'v' formed by his hips was mesmerizing and I had to fight the urge to follow it with my tongue, to the treasure waiting below.

Edward was blushing so hard that I wondered how he had any blood left for his brain, between his blazing cheeks and his massive wood. I couldn't keep the smile from my face as I teased him about it.

I took his hand tightly in mine, tingles running through my body from the point of contact.

"Are you ready?" I asked, knowing undoubtedly that he may not have been ready to jump off the cliff, but oh _yes_, he was definitely _ready_.

"No, not at all," he answered. "Let's go on the count of three. One… two… three!"

He sucked in a huge breath, and hand in hand we leapt from the cliff and plunged through the air to the turbulent ocean below. Edward let out a blood-curdling scream and I laughed hysterically.

The sensation of the wind blowing over us and the feeling of leaving our stomachs at the top of the cliff were amazing. It was more fun than any roller coaster I had ever ridden. I even caught Edward smiling widely from the corner of my eye, just before we reached the bottom.

We broke through the water with a splash and were tumbled ass over elbows by the ocean current below, never letting go of each other. I quickly righted myself, and pulled Edward up with me, spluttering and laughing as we surfaced together.

"Tell me that wasn't the most fun thing you've ever done," I prodded as we stumbled onto the shore.

"How about it's the most fun thing I've ever done so far?" Edward replied hoarsely, pulling me down onto the sand with him.

My heart nearly stopped as his mouth crashed down on mine. Time came to a standstill as his lips parted and I tasted the sweetness of his tongue. I would never crave anything as much as the flavor of his mouth as long as I lived. I had kissed other guys before, but there was no comparison.

When we finally felt the need for oxygen, Edward pulled away and held me in his vivid green gaze, his large hands framing my face. I closed my eyes slowly as he placed gentle kisses on my forehead, my eyelashes, my cheeks, and then the tip of my nose. He brushed his lips softly against mine and cradled me against his chest.

"Bella," he whispered shakily, "I can't resist you. I need you to be around you all the time. You've turned my life upside down. Please, please let me in…"

Was it worth the risk? If I let my defenses down, would he eventually abandon me like everyone else? If I took the chance and fell in love with him, he'd soon realize that he could do so much better than a lost cause like me and I would be left empty and alone.

My heart argued fiercely with my mind. _Yes. Unequivocally yes! It IS worth the risk. HE is worth the risk_.

I stood up and walked to the edge of the water as the waves made their way onto the shore and receded. Edward followed me silently and stopped when he was facing me, but I couldn't look at him. He placed two fingers under my chin and lifted my head to face him as he searched my eyes. I saw fear and concern in his as a tear trailed silently down my cheek.

"What is it, Bella? What can I do? Tell me what you want from me."

"I'm scared, Edward, scared to death. I want so much and I know it's just not possible. I want this… _us,_" I gestured between our chests, "to be real, but reality doesn't ever turn out like the fairy tales. I know from experience that nothing's forever in this crazy world. I'm afraid that you're going to wake up one day and see that I'm no good for you." I trembled with the effort it took to keep from falling apart in front of him. Seeing me as a snotty, blubbering mess would only help to convince Edward that I wasn't worthy of him.

"Why do you think that I'll leave you? I'm not one of your fake friends, and I'm not your mom, Bella. She was too selfish to recognize what an amazing person you are. She didn't appreciate or care for you; instead she used you until she found someone else to take care of her. Her lack of concern caused you to lose faith in yourself and made you become someone you're not. When she should have been there for you – _when you needed her the most_ – she pushed you away. _I_ won't push you away, Bella. I wish you could see yourself clearly, the way I see you. You are strong… smart… brave… beautiful… everything I've ever wanted and you mean too much to me for me to ever let you go. No other woman in the world ever made me feel like my heart's on fire. Only you.  
"I took a leap of faith with you. Now it's _your_ turn to take a leap of faith with _me_," he declared, his eyes blazing, brilliant green lasers that burned right through me.

I was stunned speechless by the brutal honesty behind his words. He was right about Renee. She proved time and again that she didn't have the ability to care for anyone other than herself.

Could he be right about me? Could he _love_ me?

Would I be able to live with myself if I didn't at least try to find out?

"Okay," I whispered, nodding imperceptibly.

"What? I couldn't hear you," he said, a hint of his trademark smirk beginning to appear.

I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. Louder, I told him, "I said okay. I want to try."

"I'm sorry, I still didn't hear you. What was that you said?" His smile was wider now, and I swear my heart skipped a few beats when he unleashed it on me.

"I SAID I WANT TO TRY, EDWARD! I'M READY TO TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH," I yelled, inches from his ear while I slapped playfully at his chest.

"There's my 'Right Now' poster girl," he laughed as he picked me up and swung me around wildly. He stopped spinning and held me tightly, kissing the top of my head, promising softly, "I guarantee I won't let you down."

For the first time since I could remember, I felt safe and cherished, wrapped securely in Edward's strong arms. Amazingly, I found myself looking forward to what tomorrow could bring…


	12. Push

**Please read all 11 entries before you cast your vote : )  
**

* * *

Authors - Simone and Marie

Song - Push by Matchbox Twenty  
Lyric - And I don't know why you couldn't just stay with me

Contest - One Shot Soundtrack

* * *

"Hi, you've reached Bella. Leave a message!"

Edward hung up for the fifth time in twenty minutes. He had already left Bella two voicemail messages. Leaving a third in that short space of time would seem a little excessive, especially given their relationship. Still, as he looked at his watch, that didn't stop the fact that Bella was nearly thirty minutes late and he had been double parked outside San Diego airport waiting for her as they had prearranged a few days ago. There was still a lot to be discussed, a lot to be arranged, and a lot of organizing to do, and he needed his "right-hand woman" there to help him ensure that everything was running to plan.

Comic Con was one of the big events in the entertainment industry's calendar. The mother of all junkets for new movies and TV shows, it was five days of pure mayhem. This was the third time in his career at Hale Entertainment LLC that Edward was fortunate to attend, and, with two years practice under his belt, he was fairly confident that he knew the drill. That being said, this year was a big year for them, having two huge projects to promote.

One of the most anticipated movies of the year, The Force, was based on a Young Adult book series that had taken the world by storm. Goodbye vampires and wizards, hello telekinetic superkids. It was the X-Men of the modern world, and it was ready to take the crown as the blockbuster to look forward to. It boasted a good looking, youthful cast, ready to make its presence on the world known and become the new generation's Brad Pitts, Angelina Jolies and Leo DiCaprios. Edward had already met the cast previously, and, with a bit of nurturing, he knew that this was the money spinner.

Next on their list was Forbidden, a TV series aimed at the twenty-somethings wanting a bit of escapism and glamour. Take a bit of Gossip Girl, mix it with Vampire Diaries, and throw in a bit of Sex and the City and you're on the right track. The marketing plan for both projects was huge with promotions ready to hit America nationwide, and Edward knew they had to play their cards perfectly for them to market both titles successfully.

This is where Edward was grateful for the little team that fell under his remit of Head of Publicity at Hale Entertainment LLC. Alice Brandon, Jasper Whitlock and Emmett McCarty were his reliable three, always there when he needed them, always producing good work, and always ensuring that everything went to plan. Bella Swan, however, was his force to be reckoned with. She knew her stuff and she worked hard. This was her first time attending Comic Con, and he couldn't wait to unleash her on the unsuspecting clients.

Which was all good and well except Bella was now running forty minutes late and Edward was starting to lose his temper.

Picking up his cell one more time to dial her number, he was not expecting the passenger door to open in a flurry of activity and his companion to join him in time, fussing with her seat belt as she secured it in place. Ready to unleash a bit of disappointment in her time keeping, Edward turned to face her and stopped in his tracks.

"Bella, what the hell happened to your face?"

* * *

"Where are you going, Bella?" Demetri asked Bella as he stood in the entryway of their walk-in closet.

"I told you. I have to go to San Diego for work," Bella replied as she folded her garments into her carry-on.

Demetri moved closer, pulling her hand into his. "And I told you. You aren't going."

Bella pulled her hand from his. "I don't have a choice, Met. This is my job."

"Ah, Bella. You always have a choice. You just seem hellbent on pissing me off all the time," Demetri said as he walked away from her. "Do I not provide for you? Are you not wearing my ring on your finger? How many times are we going to have this conversation, Bella?"

Demetri Moretti was correct. He could provide comfortably for Bella. His father, Aro Moretti, owned the biggest oil company on the seaboard. There have been rumblings of mobster activity, especially where his sons, Felix and of course Demetri, were concerned, but never anything concrete.

When Bella met Demetri, he courted her with flowers, chocolates and long walks on the beach. After three months of dating, he got down on one knee and proposed. Bella was smitten. "Met," as he liked to be called, knew how to play the romance game. He knew that Bella was naive and inexperienced in love, and he used this to his advantage.

However, Bella was independent. She had gone to college earning her degree in Communications. Bella was lucky when she was hired as Edward Masen's assistant. Working for the head of publicity at a major studio like Hale Entertainment wasn't something you passed up, regardless of who you are engaged to.

Bella walked into their shared bedroom and into Demetri's arms. She stood between his legs, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I need to be me. Please, Met, don't fight me on this."

Demetri pulled her hands away from her neck, squeezing her wrist. Bella's eyes shot to his, but before she could speak, he pushed her to the wall. Bella's head came in contact with the door jam as it slammed into the wood. Demetri watched as Bella slid to the floor holding the back of her head.

"Demetri?"

"What, Bella? You really think I'm okay with you working there? You belong here, in my house, at all times, waiting for me!" Demetri yelled as he paced in front of the bed.

Bella stood and came over to him, reaching for his hand. He flinched, swinging his arm back, connecting with her face. Bella yelped out in pain, tears rushing to her eyes as she pressed her hand to her cheek.

Demetri walked over to Bella, grabbing her by her shoulders. "Look at what you've done now, Bella. Are you happy with yourself?"

Bella knew not to answer as anything she could say would just enrage him further. Bella only nodded and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, Met. I promise to quit once we are married."

Those words seemed to appease him. "Here," he said as he handed her phone over to her. "Your boss has been calling."

Bella subconsciously moved her hand to touch her face, still raw from the hit it received earlier. She refused to make eye contact with Edward. "Nothing. I just ran into my closet door this morning."

Edward, still staring at her, didn't say anything in response. Her answer, however, did not sit well with him. In the recent weeks, he had noticed Bella's demeanor at work, and he didn't like what he had seen. Something was amiss with her private life and he needed to find out what it was, both as her boss and her friend.

Aware that he had been staring at Bella for a few minutes, Edward cleared his throat as he started up the rental car. "Must have been some argument with the closet door," he muttered as he pulled out of the spot he was parked in.

Bella watched the scenery of San Diego pass by, unable to retain any of it as she fought to keep her tears away. Her job was important to her and she wanted to be there for her boss but she knew her time was limited. Demetri was becoming aggressive, more so than usual, and she was starting to be afraid.

Edward and Bella arrived at their hotel. It was bustling with activity as they pulled into the valet lane. Her door flew open and a hand helped her out of the car. She smiled weakly, he too noticing the bruising on her cheek. The valet's eyes immediately sought Edward's but Edward didn't return the glare because there was nothing he could say. Edward knew it wasn't he who put the mark on her beautiful face but the assumption that it was him was all over the valet's.

With a raise of an eyebrow and a glare, the valet immediately dropped his gaze as Edward forcefully placed the keys into his hand before turning and walking into the hotel towards the elevator. Biting his tongue, so as not to say anything untoward, Edward was having a hard time trying to keep calm. He was the first to admit that, on occasions he had a short temper, especially when things were highly stressful at work. But never in his life would he raise a hand to a woman. His parents didn't bring him up to believe in domestic violence and the fact that someone had done just that to his assistant was enough to make his blood boil.

Thankfully for him, the elevator was empty when it arrived and after letting Bella walk into it first, Edward pressed the button for the eleventh floor before letting the doors close behind them. With a heavy sigh and probably against his better judgment, Edward decided once more to raise the subject at hand.

"Bella, is everything okay?"

Bella sighed as she brought hand to her forehead, again fighting the onslaught of tears that wanted to escape. Bella desperately wanted to confide in Edward but feard that Demetri would find out. That fear alone, knowing what Met would do to her and possibly to Edward, was enough to keep her mouth shut.

"Things are...fine." Bella answered with her face down away from Edward's blazing green eyes.

The frustration took over Edward's body as he shook his head and ran his hand over his face. Without wanting to sound unreasonable, he had enough to deal with without his best worker having her own personal crisis, but he was also aware that you couldn't help a person who didn't want to be helped.

"Okay. Well, we need to get down to business. We have junkets tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. for The Force. Anastasia, Austin, JD and Libby will need accompanying to that and I want you and Alice to be with them at all times. Questions need to be kept to the movie only. Absolutely no questions about Austin and Libby's personal life. At all. They have two junkets tomorrow morning, one for press and one for public. The public one gets three separate teasers. The first is about JD's character, Anthony, discovering his telekinesis talent. The second is about the kiss between Anthony and Womack and the third is the pre-empt into the battle. The latter is the hotly anticipated scene and the DVD is under strict lock and key. Even I haven't seen it yet..."

Edward trailed off from his speech as he glanced over and saw Bella fiddling with the cuff of her sweater, apparently not being the usual attentive self that she was.

"Bella, are you listening?"

"What?" Bella asked as she looked at Edward. "God, I'm so sorry," she replied as she saw the look on his face. Bella was saved by the bell as the elevator arrived on their floor. She followed Edward out and down the hall, stopping behind when he reached a door.

"This is my suite. We'll handle our meetings in here. Your room is here," Edward said as he pointed behind him. Bella nodded as she followed Edward into his room. She set her stuff along the wall and took a seat at the small table, pulling out her laptop and notepad.

Edward followed and began his instructions over. This time, Bella was being the dutiful assistant he had come to trust. As he wrapped up the briefing, the same briefing he had told the rest of his team earlier that day, Edward exhaled slowly as he sat forward in his seat, set his elbows on his table, and his chin in his hands.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you, Bella, that Comic Con is a huge deal for us. It's where we get to excel and get our content known. This is your first time here and I won't lie to you. It's tough. It's hard work, and it requires your attention at all times. I need to know that you are with me and the team. I'm not asking for 100%. I'm asking for 150% and I expect it from all my staff. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"Yes, of course. Have I ever let you down before?"

"No, Bella, you haven't but I'm sitting here, talking to you not as your boss but as your friend, and, whether you were Jasper or Alice or Emmett, I would be having the same conversation. I'm concerned, Bella. Over the past few weeks, months even, you just don't seem to be yourself. You seem... distracted. I just want to make sure that everything is... alright. And I know you've said it is, but I want to make sure, Bella. If you are stressed or this is too much, I want you to feel that you can come and talk to me."

Edward had chosen his words carefully. He knew what he suspected but there was a fine line that he was extremely aware that he couldn't cross. However, something was not sitting right with him, and he felt it was his duty to make one final attempt to reach out to his assistant before consequences determined otherwise.

Bella met Edward's gaze and this time her tears fell freely. She covered her face with her hands, trying to will them away but to no avail. "He wants me to quit."

"Bella, did he hit you?"

"He didn't mean to. I came up behind him, startled him. It was just reflex."

Edward clenched his fists as well as his jaw upon Bella's words, not quite believing what he was hearing. He cast his mind back to the previous red carpet event they had worked for, The Orson Brawl, an action movie that Hale Entertainment had released a few months ago. On this occasion, and because of the hard work that went into promoting the movie, employees were allowed to bring guests. While Edward chose to take his mother, mainly because she had a crush on the lead actor; Bella had taken her fiance, Demetri. It was the first time Edward had the "pleasure" of meeting him and it was an event that was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Instantly upon meeting Demetri, Edward noticed how protective he was of Bella. Protective to the point of being possessive. He held on to her arm tightly all night and wouldn't let her out of his sight despite the fact that, technically, they were still working that night.

The crowds in the spectator area were buzzing, screaming out the names of all the stars of the film as they arrived to walk the red carpet. Edward had given responsibility of looking after Adam Solstar to Bella. Bella had worked the RC events previously and he knew that Adam was in safe hands with Bella looking after him. However, on this occasion, he noticed that Adam was walking unaccompanied and getting into a particularly sticky situation between two journalists. Looking around, Edward found that Bella was nowhere to be seen and took over as Adam's handler.

Forty minutes later, when all the talent was safely inside, Edward eventually found Bella standing with her partner in the corner of the theater. Whilst he knew this was not the right time to talk to her about her actions, he still wanted to make his presence known.

"Bella, there you are," Edward called out as he walked up behind her.

As Bella turned around, the look on her face did not escape Edward's notice. The cool, calm, confident girl that he worked with on a day-to-day basis was replaced by a scared deer in headlights. Edward frowned slightly before averting his gaze to Bella's companion, very tall and sturdy Italian with a steely determined look in his eye.

"Um, I don't think we've met. I'm Edward Masen, Bella's boss."

"Demetri Moretti," he replied but didn't offer his hand.

Being the polite, educated and charming man that his parents brought him up to be, Edward smiled as he responded. "Ah, the infamous Demetri Moretti. It's good to finally meet you!"

Demetri's face turned to stone. He turned and eyed Bella, his hand gripping tighter around her wrist. "Are you talking about me at work, Bella?"

Bella shook her head, her eyes begging Demetri to let her go. "No, I promise."

As Edward observed the exchange, a warning bell started ringing in his head. He didn't particularly like the way Demetri was holding on to Bella. He didn't like the tone he used when he spoke to her, but, most of all, he absolutely did not like the scared look on Bella's face when she looked at Demetri. To Edward, it looked like this girl was living in fear.

Before Edward could respond in the hope of easing the tension between the three of them, Demetri pulled Bella away with him, walking in the opposite direction to where she and Edward were due to sit. Still in shock at what he had witnessed, Edward shook his head, and, spying Jasper out of the corner of his eye, went back into full work mode.

"Bella, you don't have to lie for him to me," Edward said to her quietly.

"I know," Bella replied sweetly. "He doesn't mean it."

At Bella's words, Edward felt like his was banging his head against a brick wall. No matter how many times he asked or raised the subject, deep down, he knew her response would be the same. He couldn't understand why she was so hellbent on defending the jackass who so obviously used her as a punching bag at regular intervals.

Edward stood up from his seat and moved around to where Bella was sitting, crouching down in front of her so that he was eye level with her. She could look directly into his eyes and see the sincerity in them.

"Why are you protecting him?" Edward whispered, almost to himself.

Tears streamed down her face as she answered Edward. "He's all I have."

Her words gave Edward a sharp pain his heart. If only she realized they couldn't have been further from the truth. Demetri Moretti wasn't all Bella had, because, unbeknownst to her, she had Edward. She had Edward from the moment she walked into her interview, and it killed Edward, because, as her boss, he knew that their situation was nothing but taboo. There was nothing he could do about it without being unprofessional and risking both of their careers.

But seeing her like this, so vulnerable and weak and needy, it was all Edward could do to restrain himself from reaching out and gently caressing her cheek, wiping away her tears and pulling her into his arms. He wanted nothing more to hold her, comfort her, carry her to his bed and wrap his arms around her. He wanted to make her feel safe. She would be safe with him. He would make sure of that.

Edward's inner-devil was begging him to lay his feelings on the line, to tell Bella exactly how he felt. Unfortunately, his ever prominent angel was also whispering in his ear, and, instead of reaching out to touch her tender face, he kept his hands firmly by his side. However, he did bow down a little to the devil in his mind.

"He's not," Edward replied quietly, earnestly.

Before Bella could ask what Edward meant, her phone rang. The shrieking ringtone echoing throughout Edward's suite.

"I have to get that," Bella said as she pulled her phone from her bag.

"Hello," Bella answered even though she knew it was Demetri.

"Were you going to call me when you landed or was I to sit here wondering if you made it San Diego alive?"

"I'm sorry. I had a meeting."

"Where are you?" Demetri asked with venom in his voice.

"In my room. I'm just about to take a nap before I have to work on press packets."

"Don't lie to me, Isabella. Are you trying to hurt me?"

"No," Bella squeaked out. "I'm not lying. Why would you think that?"

Demetri had seen the way her boss, Edward, had eyed her before. He was a man. He knew when another man wanted what belonged to him.

"Where's Edward?"

"Um..." Bella looked at Edward and begged him with her eyes to be quiet. "I guess he's in his room. I'm not really sure."

"Oh, Bella... Why must you lie to me. WHY?" Demetri yelled.

"I'm..."

"You are. You hesitated. If I find out you are in his room, you know I can't be responsible for my actions." With that he hung up on Bella, leaving her stunned by his threat.

An uneasy feeling settled in Edward as he listened to Bella's part of the conversation. It didn't take a genius to work out who she was talking to and what he was saying to her. As soon as Bella looked at him, her eyes begging him not to say anything, Edward knew that this situation was far worse than he ever anticipated. Standing up in front of her, Edward ran his hand through his hair as he tried to find the right words to say, knowing the moment from earlier had been lost.

"You shouldn't find the need to lie, Bella. You are working. We are both working."

"You wouldn't understand," Bella said as she stood. In haste, she pulled her papers and laptop to her chest, grabbing her bag and carry-on. She didn't look back as she retreated from Edward's room. In fact, she barely made it to her room before she broke down.

Bella placed her work supplies on the dresser, her phone on the nightstand, and crawled into bed. It was still early and she knew there was work that needed to be done, but, with her emotional state, the only thing she could do was hide.

Demetri paced in front of the fireplace. He knew Bella was lying. He felt it in his bones. The urge to do damage raged in his mind. He was going to put his foot down. Bella was going to quit her job or he was going to make sure she'd be fired. No woman of his was going to make a spectacle out of him. He is the son of an oil tycoon. Money talks.

The doorbell chime brought Demetri out of is musing. Demetri found Tanya, his current amante standing in the doorway. He pulled her inside and led her to his and Bella's bedroom.

In his room, Edward couldn't help but pace furiously. He couldn't understand how Bella could be so blind to what was going on around her. Demetri was a control freak, one who felt threatened by Bella's success. The alpha male inside of him was obviously roaring to be let loose. Edward had taken a dislike to him at The Orson Brawl premiere, but, at this moment, he positively hated him. He needed to get Bella to see her fiancé for what he was, and, if that meant overstepping the line as her boss, then so be it. She may be his assistant, but she was also his friend, and Edward was raised to look after his friends.

Picking up his Blackberry, Edward furiously typed an email to Jasper, hitting send before he could change his mind. He knew he was out of line in relation to the request that he made to his second in command, but, at that point, he didn't care. Bella needed to be looked after and Edward needed to be careful about how he did it. If that meant bringing his confidante on board, then so be it.

* * *

When Bella returned home from Comic Con she walked into her living room to find an abundance of roses… roses in every color imaginable. As she stood there in awe, she felt Demetri's arms snake around her waist. His lips rested on her cheek, the color fading.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I didn't mean it," Demetri whispered as his lips moved down her face. He moved to stand in front of her, taking her face in his hands. "Ti amo, mia bella," he said as his lips found hers.

Bella's heart jumped with happiness. Maybe the week apart did them well. Maybe this is what they needed. Bella could focus on her relationship with Demetri. She could make him happy.

"Tonight, we celebrate."

"What are we celebrating?" Bella asked in confusion.

"Ah, tesoro. We are celebrating because you came home to me. After the way I treated you, I don't deserve you."

"I love you, Met," Bella said as she leaned her forehead against his.

Demetri scooped Bella up in his arms, carrying her to the room they shared. He set her down gently, releasing his hold on her. Demetri stepped away, stripping himself of his clothing, watching as Bella did the same.

"Tu mi appartieni, Isabella. Il tuo corpo e mio," Demetri whispered against her skin as he took what he wanted from Bella.

The next morning, Bella started her daily routine, needing to return to work. She tried not to think of the last time she was in their closet, trying to remember how sweet and gentle Demetri had been the previous night as he made love to her. As she changed into her black pencil skirt and white blouse, she slipped on a pair of red heels just for accent. It was at that moment that she noticed a purple halter top dress hanging in her closet. Upon examination, she noticed the tags were missing and it wasn't exactly her size. She brought the fabric to her nose, smelling for signs that it belonged to another but found none. Bella let go of the fabric and thought that maybe, just maybe, Demetri was trying to do something nice. It wouldn't be the first time he'd gotten her size wrong. She would just have to have it altered.

Demetri was waiting for Bella when she descended the stairs. He was dressed in black trousers and a bright blue button down. Of course the top three buttons were undone, showing off his dark chest hair. Bella watched as Met set his arms into his suit jacket, his arm flexing slightly and his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed, watching her.

"You should wear pants to work."

"That is sexist, Met," Bella replied as she picked up her car keys. Her lips found his cheek and he smirked. "I'll see you for dinner. I love you."

"If you loved me so much, you'd stay home where you belong."

"Please, Demetri, not now. After we're married. I promise."

Demetri shook his head. He was going to have to put his foot down, especially since Bella hadn't set a date yet. Women in the Moretti household had no business working. It wasn't needed and created conflict. No, Moretti women stayed home and were at their man's beck and call.

Edward was not having a good day. It started badly when he discovered that the only carton of milk he had in his fridge had gone off, and it gradually got worse as he cut himself shaving, stubbed his toe on the corner of his bed, and got stuck in traffic on the way to the office, making him late for a 9:30 appointment.

To make matters worse, he could do nothing but think about what happened at Comic Con, and, especially, Bella's behavior. After she almost let her guard down on the first night, he was frustrated to find her cool, calm, and collected for the remainder of their stay. Almost too collected. She had a steely and professional exterior as she handled the junkets for the four days that Hale Entertainment LLC were representing their products. Her attempts at closing down her emotions frustrated him. He knew things were not as they seemed. As her boss, he wanted to find out if she was okay, because the last thing he wanted was for her home life to affect her professional one.

As her friend, he wanted to find out of Demetri was knocking her around, because if he was... then Edward couldn't be responsible for his actions.

As he walked to his office, Edward spotted Jasper sitting at his desk and signaled for him to join him, asking him to close the door behind him. Sitting down at his desk, Edward tented his hands and exhaled loudly as his friend and colleague sat opposite him with a curious expression on his face.

"You gonna tell me what's going on, Ed?" Jasper eventually asked.

"How did Bella seem over the last few days?" Edward replied, answering Jasper's question with his own, something that infuriated him when people did it to him.

Jasper walked over to the coffee machine that sat in the corner of Edward's office, the only luxury that Edward insisted on having, and pushed a few buttons, making an Americano and a Cappuccino.

"She seemed fine. She did her stuff, she looked after the talent, she fielded off the personal questions, she got the job done. Considering it was her first time there, I was very impressed."

Edward nodded as he digested Jasper's answer. "So, nothing else? No phone calls, no jumpiness, no... erratic behavior?"

At his boss' further questioning, Jasper raised his eyebrow. "Are you asking me this question as the Head of Publicity or as the guy who has the hots for his assistant?"

Edward scowled as he took a sip of his Americano and completely ignored Jasper's question. He hated it when he was right. Completely avoiding the question, Edward pulled a stack of paperwork out of a file and threw it in Jasper's direction before briefing him fully on a meeting they were due to attend in thirty minutes.

As Bella read over the contract with Events, the company handling the after party for HE's next movie, Baby Mama, Daddy Drama, Bella's phone line started ringing. As much as she wanted to ignore the sound and get her edits back to Events, it was reception calling.

"Bella Swan."

"Mr. Moretti is here to see you, Bella," Tiffy, the very Hollywood-type receptionist, informed Bella.

"I'll be there in a minute," Bella replied as she set her phone down. Bella ran her hands over her face, sighing. The last thing she wanted to have right now was a run-in with Demetri. Showing up at her work unannounced did not sit well with her.

Bella left her desk, heading to reception. When she rounded the corner, she found Demetri leaning over Tiffy's desk, her boobs within shot of his hands. Demetri's finger was twirling a piece of Tiffy's poorly-dyed platinum hair.

Bella wanted to go up and pull Demetri away, but she knew that would just piss him off. She cleared her throat. "Met?"

Demetri righted himself only slightly, smiling at Bella as she moved closer to him. Bella placed her hand in his and pulled him to the other side of reception.

"What are you doing here?"

"Are you saying I can't be here? Are you ashamed of me, Bella?"

Bella was confused by the sudden onslaught of insecurity rolling off Demetri, "No, of course not. I'm just surprised. You usually call when you are stopping by."

Demetri placed his hand on the back of Bella's neck, pulling her close. "Maybe I just wanted to see if you were up to no good."

"Not here, Demetri. Please. This is my work." Bella whispered, pleading with her eyes that he would behave himself.

"Let's go to lunch," Demetri demanded.

"I can't, Met. I have a meeting in a few minutes and I have contracts to send out for the next premiere."

"It wasn't a question, Bella. I don't care what you have to do. I want lunch and I want it with you. Now let's go."

"Demetri."

"Isabella," Demetri muttered harshly into her ear as he pulled her closer by her arm, squeezing it for attention. "Don't piss me off. Am I making myself clear?"

All Bella could do was nod.

As Edward wrapped up the meeting with Jessica Stanley from Screentime Magazine, he and Jasper stood up and showed her back out to Reception. Closing the door of the meeting room behind him, Edward immediately noticed the tall, dark Italian standing menacingly in in the Reception area and the timid brunette standing in front of him. Edward immediately clenched his jaw at the sight, not liking what he was seeing one little bit.

"Jessica, it was good meeting you again. We'll be in touch with the one sheet we would like Screentime to use together with the exclusive article."

Edward made sure he projected his voice as he bade farewell to his client. He wanted Moretti to know that this was his territory and his posh Italian tailor-made shoes were not welcome here.

Jasper glanced over at Edward with a warning look in his eye which Edward quickly dismissed, and, with an infinite shake of his head, Jasper made his way back to his desk, hoping that his boss knew what he was doing.

"Bella. Demetri," Edward said by way of greeting, his name almost getting stuck in his throat and choking him.

"Isabella's leaving for the day. You don't have a problem with that, do you, Masen?"

Ignoring Moretti completely, Edward looked directly at Bella, into the fear in her eyes.

"Have you sent those contracts out and spoken to Events, Bella?"

Bella made eye contact with Edward, saying it all. He knew she hadn't finished her work as she just got the assignment before he went into his meeting.

"Demetri, I need to finish my project first," Bella muttered as her eyes barely made contact with Demetri's.

Demetri placed his hands on the side of her face, his fingers digging into the back of her head, "You'll regret your decision later, tesoro," he said as he patted her face making his exit.

Edward didn't break eye contact with Bella as Moretti left the building. Bella, however, had other ideas as her gazed dropped to her hands and she turned to make her way back to her desk.

"Bella, can I have a word please?" Edward asked her loudly, causing her to stop mid-step.

Turning around slowly, Bella reluctantly looked back at Edward and noticed the muscle in his jaw flexing repeatedly as he stared at her with his piercing green eyes. Bella nodded slightly as Edward indicated to the meeting room that he exited earlier before walking in and leaving the door open for her as she followed.

"Shut the door, please," Edward muttered abruptly with his back towards Bella. He waited until he heard the door close before turning around to face her.

There was so much he wanted to say to her but he was at a loss as to how to start saying it. There were so many conflicting emotions running through his mind. First and foremost, he was her manager, her peer. He had assigned certain tasks to her and he expected them to be completed. Taking off for the rest of the day without seeking permission was not acceptable, regardless of whom her fiancé was. Oil tycoon heir or not, Bella's priority during working hours was her job. There were no arguments. Edward needed to get that message across to her loud and clear.

However, the overriding feelings running through his head were the ones being ruled by his heart. This guy, this Moretti, was a monster. He had this inexplicable control over Bella and he could see it destroying her. She lived in fear of him, that much was obvious, and Edward feared it would only be a matter of time before something so horrific happened that Bella would be dealing with the consequences for years to come. The thought made his stomach churn; he wanted to be physically sick. He could not let that happen. He would not let that happen.

Jasper was right. This was more than Edward's responsibility towards Bella as his assistant. This was about his feelings towards her as a woman. A warm, bright, delectable, sexy woman. Edward wanted her from the minute she walked in for her interview, and he wanted her even more now. The taboos of the forbidden fruit tormented him daily as he knew that crossing the line - manager and assistant - was frowned upon at HE LLC. Not only would the big bosses have his guts for garters, they would surely have the pair of them out on the street without a second thought.

But standing here in front of him, beautiful, timid, vulnerable, flawless apart from the fading bruise on her cheek, Edward wanted nothing more than to hold her, comfort her, feel her. He wanted to show her how a real man should treat the woman he loves. He wanted to tell her there was more out there than a controlling beast that spoke with his hands. He wanted her to pick him.

Running his hand through his hair, Edward exhaled heavily, expelling his inner-monologue to the darkest corner of his mind.

"Bella, I don't need to tell you how important these contracts are, that you are in working hours. I need you to concentrate on your job. Taking off for the rest of the day just because your fiancé turns up unannounced is unacceptable."

"I... it... he said that, not me. I didn't want to leave."

Bella's nerves as she answered Edward infuriated him. She shouldn't be fearful of him. He was her boss, not her animal boyfriend. Edward couldn't stop himself from feeling irritated by her demeanor.

"Dammit, Bella. I'm not him. You don't have to be scared of me," he answered abruptly.

Bella jumped at the sound of Edward's voice. "I'm not scared," Bella whispered.

Edward walked up to Bella slowly, closing the gap between them, feeling the electricity radiating from the close proximity of their bodies.

"Then why are you so jumpy?"

Edward didn't give Bella a chance to respond, closing his eyes briefly before opening then and unleashing the full force of his burning jade eyes onto her.

"Bella," he whispered before stopping, composing himself, steadying himself, knowing that this was now or never.

"You don't have to be scared of me. Talk to me. Please?"

Bella wanted to tell Edward everything. She wanted to tell Edward that she wanted to leave Demetri but had nowhere to go. She had no one to protect her. She wanted to tell Edward that if she wasn't with Demetri, that she'd want to be with him, to trust him but she didn't trust herself.

"If I tell you, then what?"

Edward closed the gap between then even more, standing almost foot to foot with the woman he desired.

"Then I would help you in any way I could."

Raising his hand, he touched her cheek ever so lightly, fully aware that he had tip-toed delicately over the line and boundaries that were surrounding their working relationship, but he didn't care. This wasn't about being caught in the moment. This was about wanting to show her that she could rely on him, that he would be there for her every step of the way.

"You can trust me, Bella. I won't hurt you," he whispered.

Bella leaned into his touch, his fingertips burning along her skin, her desire for him surfacing. "He says the same thing, every time."

"I'm not him, Bella. I would never be him. I wouldn't... do that to you."

"He hits me," Bella muttered as her eyes turned away from Edward's. She didn't want to see the disgust in his face when her words registered in his mind.

At Bella's admittance to the facts that Edward had suspected for months now, he closed his eyes again, this time in anger and frustration. The last thing he wanted was for Bella to see the temper flare up in his face. He was not here to scare her. He was anything but Moretti.

"Then why do you stay with him?"

"I have nowhere to go."

Edward wanted to tell her that her statement couldn't have been further from the truth. She did have somewhere to go. He'd gladly take her in, look after her, love her. He wanted nothing more. She was the girl he worked with during the day and the woman he dreamed of every night. He wanted to be her knight in shining armor, ready to rescue her from whatever horrors she goes home to every night. He wanted to be more than her boss. He wanted to be her lover.

Edward couldn't hold back any longer, the pull being too strong for his own will, and, ever so slowly, he leaned into her, bowing his head down to meet hers, never breaking eye contact with the warm, soft eyes staring back at him, completely overwhelmed by their intensity. He could see the trust there, and he promised her internally that he would never let her down.

The abrupt knock on the meeting room door pulled Edward out of his bubble and he jumped back, running his hand through his hair again as he answered with a gruff "Come in."

Opening the door, Jasper entered the room, surveying the scene between him. Bella was nervously knotting her hands in front of her. Edward looked like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. What the hell did he walk in on?

"Edward, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to prepare for the presentation this afternoon," Jasper told him as he tried to convey another message with his eyes, one that simply said, what the hell are you doing?

Edward nodded in response. "I'll be right with you," he replied before turning to Bella.

"I need an update on Events by the end of the day, Bella."

And with those words, he followed Jasper out of the room, leaving a multitude of question marks hanging in the air between him and the object of his desire.

Bella left the office at the same time, 5:30. She tried not think about what almost happened with her and Edward in the conference room. In fact, she didn't want to think about anything but pleasing Demetri when she got home.

When Bella pulled into the driveway, she noticed that Demetri's father, Aro, was there. This did not sit well with Bella. She felt that Aro as behind Demetri's temper. Bella slowly got out of her car and entered the house that she shared with Demetri. She walked with caution into the study, greeting the Moretti men.

"Good evening," she said as she walked over to Demetri. She went to place a kiss on his cheek but he moved away.

"So nice of you to come home."

"I left as soon as my day finished."

"Your day finished when I showed up at your office."

Bella just smiled and nodded. She didn't want to argue in front of Aro.

"Demetri, I'll be going," Aro stated as he stood up. He didn't even acknowledge Bella. This was nothing new. She knew that Aro didn't approve of her. The lack of Italian blood did not sit well with him.

The moment the front door slammed, Bella jumped.

"Why so skittish, Bella?"

Too afraid to make eye contact, Bella answered Demetri quietly. "I'm not, Met. I guess I'm just tired."

"Tired from what? Answering the phone?" Demetri asked as he walked around her. "Tired from sitting at your desk all day?" Demetri brought his glass to his lips, draining the whiskey he had poured before she entered the room. "Tired of staring at that boss of yours all day?

"Tell me, Isabella. Why are you so tired? Definitely not from being home where you should be. SO TELL ME!" Demetri yelled, making her jump.

"I... I... d...don't..." Bella couldn't get the words out, her tongue getting tied as every syllable stuck in her throat. She could see from the look in Demetri's eyes, from the tense stance of his body, from the determination on his face, that whatever she said to him would not be a good enough excuse and she mentally braced herself for whatever words he said next.

"You don't what, tesoro? I see the way he looks at you. He wants you, Isabella." Demetri moved his fingers to the buttons of her shirt and pulled, ripping the buttons away. Demetri's hand found the back of her neck, applying pressure. He brought her forward. "He wants what is mine and he can't fucking have it."

Demetri flung his arm, throwing Bella to the ground. As Bella landed she slid into the marble that encased the fire place, hitting her head.

"Don't look up," Demetri murmured as he threw his glass just above her head.

Cowering on the ground, her body shaking, Bella didn't dare defy him. The sharp pain from the knock on her head, together with the fear coursing through her, brought tears to her eyes, tears which she desperately tried to hide from Demetri.

"Please, Met, please, I'm sorry," she whimpered over and over again, begging him, trying to appeal to his better nature, to the gentleman that she knew was in there somewhere.

Demetri walked over to Bella, crouching down in front of her, pulling her up by her hair, "He won't want you after I'm done with you."

With all the fear in the world running through her, Bella closed her eyes as she waited for the blackness to welcome her.

* * *

Edward's day was not getting any better. After his encounter earlier this afternoon and the presentation from hell to go through, he was now sitting on his couch, running through the financial reports which Alice had passed to him shortly before he left the office. Series re-runs of Dexter were playing on his flatscreen with the sound muted as Edward's mind wandered, thinking about anything but financial reports and fictional dramas. He couldn't get the events that occurred in that conference room out of his mind. The way Bella looked at him, the way he touched her, the way she reacted to his touch, the way he almost kissed her. He was pissed off at Jasper for interrupting them at that crucial moment, but, at the same time, he was thankful. In retrospect, Edward would not have wanted their first kiss to be behind closed doors in their office. He would treat her better than that. Better than Moretti could ever treat her.

The shrill sound of his doorbell brought him back to the here and now, and, looking at his watch, he wondered who the hell could be calling to see him at such a late hour. Throwing his papers on the coffee table, Edward walked to the front door, determined to get rid of whoever it was so he could wallow in his own pity. He was not, however, prepared for the sight that greeted him as he opened the door.

Standing there, in the pouring rain was Bella, her shirt ripped, her face bloody, her lips cut and swollen. The shock of seeing here rendered him motionless as he carried out a quick inventory of her before he sprung into action and pulled her in to his house.

"Bella? What the hell happened?" He asked her, even though, deep down, he feared he knew the answer.

"I...I...he...out..." Bella choked out between sobs.

Edward could do nothing but act instinctively and moved to pull Bella into his arms but stopped abruptly when she stepped back, her body tense and shaking as he reached for her. The rage that took over his body was indescribable and he realized with horror that she was scared of him. She was scared that he was going to hit her, just like that fucking bastard so obviously did.

Slowly, gently, he held out his hand again to her, leaving space between them so that she knew that the choice was entirely up to her.

"You can trust me, Bella. I promise you I won't hurt you," Edward whispered, his eyes imploring her to trust him.

Slowly, tentatively, Bella nodded before placing her hand in his. As soon as contact was made Edward slowly walked her to his bathroom and sat her on the side of the bathtub, pulling out some fresh towels from the cabinet and filling up the sink with warm water. Without saying a word, he dipped a face cloth in the water before kneeling down in front of Bella, seeking her permission with his eyes. As Bella gave him another nod, Edward gently placed the cloth to Bella's face and began the meticulous task of cleaning her face, starting with the cuts on her cheek before moving to her temple.

Slowly, he cleaned her, rinsing the facecloth every so often to clean the blood off the material. He gently dabbed the tears away from her eyes, noticing the tender swelling that was forming and cursing to himself in anticipation of the purple bruise that will no doubt appear there in the morning.

Once her face was cleared of all blood, he moved to her hands, noticing that they too were cut and bloodied and he began the process again. No words were exchanged throughout the routine. Instead, Bella sat there lifeless, motionless as Edward took care of her, and, once all the cuts that he could see were cleaned, he stood up again and faced her.

"Did he... did he force you?" Edward asked, knowing that he would not be responsible for his actions should she confirm his worst fears.

"No," Bella whispered.

Upon hearing her answer, Edward let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding as he ran his hands over his face, trying to compose himself.

"We need to get you out of those wet clothes and warm. I'll find you something to wear, but you should take a shower. Help yourself to any toiletries you need."

Bella nodded as she stood, pulling off her ripped shirt. She didn't hesitate or wait for Edward to leave the bathroom before her bra fell to the floor. Bella unzipped her skirt, letting it pool at her shoeless feet. Her nylons barely there as she pulled them down her legs.

It wasn't Edward's intention to watch Bella as she undressed, but, upon seeing her remove her shirt, he visibly winced at the yellow and purple bruises that she had on her torso. He knew instantly that some of these were not the result of tonight's beating. Some of them were old injuries, some were fading, some were permanently etched onto her skin.

The desire to touch her took a hold of him, not because he had a sexual desire to satisfy but because he wanted to help her. He wanted to heal her.

He wanted to kill him.

Shaking his head to get a element of sense back into his body, Edward quietly exited the bathroom, giving Bella the privacy she needed to shower. He raided his closet and found an old pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt for her to wear before sitting back down on the couch in the living room and waiting for her to emerge.

The minutes that passed were torturing him slowly.

Eventually, Bella emerged from his room. The clothes he left for her almost drowning her frail body. Smiling sadly at her, he motioned for her to sit down and was surprised yet relieved when she chose to sit next to him on the couch.

"Better?" he asked her, trying to make her feel at ease.

Bella curled her feet up underneath her, looking at Edward as he sat next to her. "Do you have any ice?"

Edward nodded as he stood up and made his way to the kitchen, grabbing some ice and placing it in a clean dishtowel before returning to her. Again, he kneeled in front of her and slowly, tentatively reached out with the ice pack and placed it on her eye, hesitating as she winced at the contact.

"You're going to have some shiner there tomorrow," he muttered to her.

"I've never... he's never... it was never the face until San Diego."

Edward clenched his teeth to prevent him from lashing out and saying something that he would regret. Instead, he nodded in understanding as he continued to ice the swelling on her eye. Not before long, he noticed her eyelids growing heavy as she tried to battle the sleep that was threatening to overtake her body, and he stood up and offered his hand to her.

After a few seconds she took his hand and he showed her to her bed.

"You should sleep in here. I'll take the couch," he said as he pulled out the spare bedding from one of the cupboards.

Bella offered her gratitude in a small smile before pulling back the covers and slipping in, letting the darkness of sleep take over her body.

Edward, meanwhile, returned to the couch and settled down, fully aware that he was in for a long, troubled night.

As much as Bella wished for a dreamless sleep, it wasn't in her cards. Images of Demetri flashed in her mind. His fist, his rage, his voice. Over and over, Bella's body reacted to what her mind was recreating, keeping her tossing from side to side. Her body tangled in the comforter that adorned Edward's bed. Her t-shirt soaked with sweat, making her chilled to the bone.

"Stop...stop," Bella muttered in her sleep as Demetri moved closer to her. Her body could sense his presence. "STOP... PLEASE STOP... I'M SORRY," Bella yelled out in her sleep. Bella shot straight up, confused by her surroundings.

As soon as he heard her shouts, bringing him 'round from his restless slumber, Edward shot up and raced to his room, bursting through the door. The sight that greeted him tore at his heart, Bella was crying and covering her face, cowering as she sat in his bed. He slowly approached her, his hand outstretched.

"Bella, its okay. Its okay, sweetheart. It's just a dream," he said to her as he neared the bed. "Bella, it's me, Edward. You're okay. You're safe."

"He's coming," Bella said as she clutched the blanket to her chest.

Edward sat on the edge of the bed, "He's not, Bella. It was a nightmare. I'm not going to let him harm you. He's never going to harm you again. I promise. You're safe now."

Edward spoke his words of comfort over and over again until Bella's sobs turned to whimpers and she moved her hands away from her face as she slowly relaxed. Edward wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and comfort her, but he couldn't and wouldn't do anything until she gave him permission. Reaching over to the bedside table, he picked up the glass of water he had placed there earlier and offered it to her along with some Advil to help with the pain that she would no doubt be feeling at that moment as a result of her injuries.

He watched her as she took the glass and the tablets, taking a sip as she swallowed them one by one before placing the glass back down on the table. Once Edward was convinced she was as okay as she would ever be, he made to stand up again and walk back to his temporary bed on the couch.

"Don't go, Edward. Please."

Edward stopped in his tracks at Bella's words. "Bella... Are you sure?" he asked her.

Bella moved over a bit in Edward's bed, pulling the comforter back. Edward slid into the open spot next to her. Bella watched as Edward's body relaxed a bit.

"Edward, will you hold me?"

The Devil and the Angel inside his body battled against each other as Edward considered Bella's request. But turning towards her and seeing the pleading, scared look in her eyes made Edward's decision easy. Nodding in answer, he moved closer to her and opened his arms, watching as she slid into them.

Together, they both lied down in bed, Bella's head resting on Edward's chest as he held her in his arms, protecting her from the demons, the bad guys and the bastard boyfriend that beat the shit out of her. As Bella slowly fell into a deep sleep, her breathing becoming more controlled, Edward made a promise to her - and himself - that Demetri Moretti would pay for this. There was no way he was going to let him or anyone else hurt Bella again.

* * *

Bella woke the next morning to find herself lying alone in the big king size bed in Edward's bedroom. She couldn't help the slight disappointment going through her body at the fact that Edward was no longer with her. Lying in his arms last night made her feel safe. It made her feel protected. It made her feel... loved.

As quickly as it arrived, the feeling of disappointment disappeared as soon as she tried to move, the throbbing of her injuries taking over. Tentatively, she raised her hand to her face and winced as she felt the tender bruising of her eye. She dreaded to think just how bad it looked. The horrors of last night came flooding back to her, as did Edward's tender touch as he took care of her. Cleaning her injuries, his touch was soothing.

A gentle knock on the door brought her back as Edward stepped into the room carrying a steaming hot mug of coffee.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Bella replied as she attempted to sit up in bed. Every part of her body ached; her arms, her ribs and her back.

Edward nodded as he placed the mug on the bedside table. Bella noticed that he refrained from sitting down on the bed, instead moving to stand by the bedroom door, his hands stuffing the pockets of his pants.

"I, um, left you a shirt to wear, seeing as your other one has seen better days. And I'm not expecting you to come into work today, either. You can take some time off. Take as long as you need."

Bella nodded as she moved with caution to pick up the mug. "I have to go to work. I can't go home."

Running his hand over his face, Edward's body tensed at the mention of Bella's "home." She was right about that, and he was going to make damn sure that she would never have to face that monster again. What he would do to prevent that, however, Edward was still trying to figure out.

"You can stay here for as long as you like."

Bella offered Edward a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I have to go home sometime... I... no clothes," Bella said has she fought through the tears. She wanted to to hide. She wanted to crawl into a hole and just hide forever. The one person she was supposed to trust with her life was nothing but a monster, leaving her homeless with nothing.

Nodding again to show he understood, Edward was desperately trying to keep his distance. While Bella was in this situation, their relationship had to remain professional, he was her boss after all and the last thing he wanted to do was provoke Moretti from doing any further damage.

"Well, like I said, you don't have to come in today. If you wanted to go and grab some emergency supplies, I can ask Human Resources to give you an advance on your wages or something," he muttered more to himself than to Bella.

Shaking his head, he made his way to the door. "I should leave you to freshen up. Help yourself to anything you need in the bathroom, and, like I said, I've left you a shirt. I'm sure it'll be too big but... Well, it's all I have. Bachelor pad and all..." he continued with a small smile.

Bella watched as Edward retreated, closing the door behind him. Inching her way off the bed proved to be a harder task then she thought. Her body was flat out sore. Everything was protesting any sort of movement, begging her to stay in bed. She knew if she didn't go to work, she'd be heading back to Demetri's asking him to give her another chance. That was something Bella didn't want to do.

Bella wanted to think that she valued her life a bit more than taking a daily beating because her boyfriend had a nasty temper. Although her father was no longer around, he did teach her that men didn't treat women with anything less than respect. Currently, Demetri didn't respect Bella but Edward did.

Bella made her way to Edward's shower. Once the hot water started beating on her skin, she felt instant relief. Her muscles loosened up a bit, enough for her to be able to wash her hair. Bella spent a half hour under the water, just standing and thinking, thinking about how life needed to change if she wanted to make it to her next birthday.

Stepping out of the shower, she found Edward's shirt and her skirt which he must've cleaned for her last night because it was free of any evidence of blood. She dressed and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. Looking in the mirror, she hoped that Alice brought her make-up today because she was going to have to borrow some when she arrived at the office. Bella made a mental note to ask Edward if she could reschedule her meetings for next week once the black eye was somewhat healed.

Ninety minutes later and Edward was sitting in his office, anxiously watching Bella as she sat at her desk and powered up her computer. He wished she had taken him up on his offer and decided to take a few days off work at least until the bruising went down. Not because he thought her appearance would affect the workings of the office and her colleagues, but more so because he was worried for her mental state. The last thing she needed to deal with was pointed looks and whisperings behind her back. This was precisely the reason why, as soon as Bella hit the shower this morning, Edward had called Jasper and briefed him on the situation without giving him the gory details. It was imperative that his team was supportive towards Bella without showing her pity and he had asked Jasper to quietly have a word with Emmett and Alice to put that message across.

Picking up the telephone, Edward made a few calls to ensure that all of Bella's appointments were rescheduled. After Bella made the request earlier that morning, Edward didn't hesitate in agreeing. Above anything, he knew that Bella's dignity had to remain in tact. Still, he also knew that at some point, Human Resources would need to be informed of the situation at hand, and he did not relish making that call.

Throughout the morning, Edward ensured that the door to his office remained opened so that he could keep an eye on Bella's state. He was well aware that she was putting on a brave face and her facade could cave at any moment, and as her boss, he wanted to make sure that any impending breakdown did not happen in the public space of the open plan office. His "open door policy" definitely applied to this moment.

Demetri Moretti pulled up in front of HE, Inc, leaving his car running. He grabbed the black garbage bag that he packed this morning after Bella didn't return home. Demetri threw the door open and smiled at Tiffy. She immediately adjusted herself in hopes to catch his eye, but, when he didn't stop at her desk, she became worried.

"Sir, you can't just go back there."

"Watch me," Demetri replied as he worked his way through the maze of desks. He stopped momentarily, surveying the floor layout, looking for Bella. It took him only a moment. Once he saw the sign for Edward Masen, he knew where he'd find Bella. As Demetri stalked his way toward Masen's office, he saw her. Bella was typing on her keyboard, not paying attention to the commotion on the floor.

"Isabella," Demetri yelled across the room.

Bella stopped her fingers from flying across the keys. Fear gripped her as she recognized the voice. When she looked up, she saw Demetri coming toward her and Tiffy chasing him. Bella silently asked where security was because that should have been the first thing Tiffy did when someone came in without an escort, but no. She was chasing him.

Demetri arrived at her desk before she could pick up her phone. "Bella, baby, I love you. You know I love you. I don't understand why you have do this," Demetri stated as he stroked his finger down the side of her cheek. "And I don't know why you couldn't just stay with me, why you feel you need to move out? You didn't come home last night, tesoro."

Bella looked at Demetri, not sure if she should answer. He had kicked her out. Did he expect her to return?

"Demetri, don't do this here, please."

"Why not, Isabella? You brought him," Demetri pointed toward Edward's office, "into our relationship, so we'll do this here."

Upon hearing Moretti's voice in the office, Edward immediately tensed, anger consuming his body. Without saying another word, he abruptly ended the meeting he was having with Emmett and stormed out of his office, walking directly up to Bella's desk and standing in between her and her low-life monster boyfriend.

"Moretti, I'm going to say this once. You either leave now or I get Security to show you the way out," Edward snarled at him through gritted teeth.

Demetri laughed at Edward's threat. "Fuck you," he replied. Demetri reached to pull Bella up by the hair, grabbing just enough to make her move.

"You want that," he shoved her toward Edward, "instead of me?"

Edward instinctively caught Bella as she lost her footing and fell into him, taking a step backwards and moving her so that she was now standing behind him. He was acutely aware that all eyes within the open plan office were currently trained on him and Moretti, eager to see this real life soap opera unfold. Out of his peripheral vision he saw Jasper picking up the phone and to call security while Emmett had moved to his side and Alice was standing at her desk.

"I won't tell you again, Moretti. You're trespassing and you need to leave... NOW!" Edward yelled the last word making half of the office jump in their seat. Emmett placed a hand on his shoulder in a bid to both calm him and offer him support, yet Edward shrugged him off angrily, his emotions taking control of his head.

"Gladly," Demetri said as he dumped the contents of the garbage bag on Bella's desk. "You want the trash so bad, take her."

The muscle in Edward's jaw worked overtime as he clenched his teeth, trying so desperately to keep his cool in this work environment. While his first priority was the scared girl shaking behind him, he had to remain professional so as not to give his emotional feelings away. Still, Moretti's last words struck a chord with him.

"Don't refer to her as that," Edward replied to him quietly, almost menacingly.

"How about I call her a whore? Because that is what she FUCKING IS! A fucking whore. I'm sure she went crawling to you, telling you everything you wanted to hear. Isn't that right, Isabella? Did you go to your boss crying? Let me tell you something. The moment I tossed your white trash ass out of my house, I was getting my rocks off. Just like every time you go to work and on your fucked up business trips. I get mine. You're a fucking dead fish who can't satisfy a man," Demetri spewed with such hate.

Demetri started to walk away but turned around. "I hope you have a good hand and a spare because you'll need it after fucking her for a minute."

Edward's hand clenched into fists. There was nothing he wanted to do more than to chase after Moretti and show him exactly what he thought of him. For that reason, he was grateful when Felix and Dean from Security finally showed up and escorted him off the premises despite his protests that he as already leaving.

Edward took a few moments to calm down before being acutely aware of the deafening silence that remained around him. Turning to Alice, he asked her to take Bella into his office before looking up and addressing everyone. "The show's over. You can get back to work."

Walking back into this office, he asked Alice for a few seconds alone with Bella, requesting that she fetch them some water. Once they were alone, Edward sat down on his desk while Bella sat in the chair, quietly weeping.

"I know this is a stupid question but... Are you okay?"

Bella sat clutching Alice's hand. She had felt pain before but never like this and not at the hands of Edward.

"It's going to be okay," Alice spoke softly as she wiped Bella's tears.

Bella could only nod.

* * *

"Am I too late?"

Bella's head shot up, and, this time, it wasn't from fear when someone would come rushing into a room but out of love.

"Doctor says it's time. You're just in time."

"Oh, thank God. I got here as fast as I could. I'm so sorry I wasn't there when you went into labor," Edward said as he rushed over to Bella, holding her in his arms. "Thank you, Alice."

Alice smiled and released Bella's hand, taking her exit so the soon-to-be parents could have this moment.

Two Years Earlier

As Bella awoke, anticipation filled her body. Today was a big day. Today finally felt like the first day of the rest of her life, and she couldn't wait to embark on her new adventure.

Looking at her surroundings, she couldn't help but smile. It had been a long journey, a road which was filled with many bumps and detours, but she finally felt that her life had found its purpose. She was finally at a place where she wanted to be.

Bella would frequently cast her mind back to two years previous when Demetri had humiliated her in the offices of Hale Entertainment LLC, and she would often cringe at the weak human being that she was. She was infuriated with herself that she didn't have the courage to stand up to the monster who she so foolishly believed loved her. She realized that now. Edward, her boss, had been so kind and considerate in the days that followed the incident.

He called Human Resources and arranged for her to take two weeks sick leave while she got herself sorted. Alice had very kindly offered - insisted - that Bella move in with her, and the two girls became best friends very quickly with Alice staying up night upon night comforting Bella as she cried herself to sleep or woke up screaming from a nightmare. There were occasions when the tables turned and Alice needed Bella's advice when she confessed about her secret crush on Jasper.

Life also moved on for Bella professionally. Despite her team's and the managements pleas, Bella no longer felt comfortable working at HE LLC now that her dirty laundry had been very publicly aired in front of everyone. Three months later, she finally handed in her notice and took up the position as Austin Hart's Publicity Officer. It turned out that HE LLC had a huge hit on their hands with The Force and the rest of the book series was commissiond to be made into movies as quickly as possible. Austin became the instant heart throb overnight and his personal life was blasted all over the press. In some ways, Bella felt an affinity with Austin. She knew what it was like to have her life talked about behind her back.

Most importantly, after that fateful day, Bella never saw Demetri Moretti again. She heard rumors that he and Tanya Denali officially became a couple with Demetri parading her around all kinds of social events. Tanya took to her role as his girlfriend like the social butterfly she is. Unfortunately - or fortunately depending on your point of view - for Demetri, what he didn't realize was that Tanya was a whore of the worst kind. Her reputation as a lady of the night came to light the day after he married her on his yacht in the Indian Ocean. The disgrace brought on his family after that little bombshell was enough to make Bella toast the misfortune of the bastard she so very nearly married herself. The irony was enough to make her laugh when she least expected it. It wasn't the first time she found herself thanking her lucky stars that she managed to get out of that relationship while she had the chance.

A knock on the door of her room brought her back. Turning around, Bella could do nothing but smile gloriously as she greeted her visitor.

Edward's breath was always taken away whenever he laid eyes on Bella. That much was true when she first walked in for her interview at HE LLC all those years ago, and it was still true now. Her beauty was unmatched, both on the surface and in her soul.

He referred to that period of Bella being with Demetri as dark times. The period that followed the confrontation at the office was the worst of his career at HE LLC. As Bella went on compassionate leave, Edward was hauled in front of Human Resources, having to answer question upon question about his involvement in the whole debacle. He maintained his stance and told the truth to every question asked. The only thing he omitted to tell anyone was the time that he and Bella nearly kissed on that one occasion in the meeting room. That was their little secret and one that no one else needed to know.

Edward had excelled at HE LLC, and, whilst he was heartbroken when Bella had taken the decision to leave the company, he respected her all the same. She needed to start her new life and if that meant pastures new in all aspects of her life then so be it. At least he could maintain some kind of contact via Alice.

In all the times Edward recounted the events of what happened, he never once regretted the decisions he made. He would do it all again in a flash. He knew that then, and he knew that now.

Walking over to the woman he loved, he took her in his arms and kissed her gently on the lips.

"You look divine, Mrs. Masen," he whispered, covering her face in tender little kisses before moving down her jaw and down to her neck.

"You're not so bad yourself, Mr. Masen," his wife of twenty-four hours replied.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love the sound of that? 'Mrs. Bella Masen?'" Edward said quietly in her ear as he snaked his arms around her and pulled her body close to his.

Bella blushed as the feeling of want flooded her body. She could never, would never, get enough of Edward Masen with his devilishly good looks and toned body.

It took some time before Edward had made the monumental decision to try and take his relationship with Bella to something that was more than professional. Of course, once she left the employment of HE LLC, there were no boundaries for him to play within other than those that had emotionally scarred her. Edward was very cautious in his pursuit of her, and, after months of being her friend and confidante, he finally plucked up the courage to tell her exactly how he felt. When she confessed that she felt the same way, relief flooded his body.

The relationship was nothing but tentative, Edward knowing that the aftermath of her previous relationship would have some kind of effect on them, but he remained patient and caring, and, above all, loving.

He made sure that he showed her how much he cared about her, that he would never, ever hurt her. He was not Demetri Moretti and he showed her that in every way he could.

He showed her that on their first date. He showed her on the first night they made love. And he showed her when they exchanged their vows yesterday.

Her life as a human punching bag was over. Her life as a loving wife had just begun.

As Bella pushed, Edward was there right by her side, just like he said he would be. In the three years that they have been together, he hadn't faltered once on the commitment he made to her. Never had he yelled, lifted his hand or made her fear being in a room with him. Edward promised Bella that he would treat her the way she deserved, and he did.

In their own separate bubble, neither Edward nor Bella could have been happier as they welcomed their daughter into the world. The moment she was placed on Bella's chest, tears streamed down Edward's face as he took in the beauty of his wife and child. A moment of peace took a hold of his body as Edward, finally, had the life he had wished for. All the hard work, all the pain, was worth it for this moment.

From that moment on, Edward made a new vow, one that extended the marriage vows he made to Bella, that he would not only continue to protect her, but he would protect their baby, too.

They were his life now.


	13. Trouble

**Please remember to read all 11 entries before voting : )**

* * *

**Author: Deonne**  
**Song and artist: Trouble by Pink**  
**Word length: 5629**  
**Rating: M for underage drinking (Meets Australian age of consent)**  
**Genre: Humour**  
**Title: Prom night Trouble.**

As we sat there in the Port Angle's police department's finest integration I looked around at my 5 best and closest friends all wondering the same thing I am. "What the hell did we do last night? I remember some things but other parts are a little bit fuzzy." Emmett groaned while nursing a rather large cup of coffee in his hands. "Wait, I got a better question, how the hell did we get here? Last thing I remember was doing shots in the hotel room." Rose whispered while rubbing her head. "Um, guys. How are we going to explain this to our parents?" I meekly asked fearing my father more than anyone else's parental figures. Being the daughter of the chief of police and finding yourself in the humble hands of P A's finest men and women in blue has more disadvantages than what everyone else is going to face. "Ah, hell. Didn't think of that." Jasper's banging on the table was not going to help any of us, and I think he slowly realised it when after the second one he stopped and shot an apologetic glace at everyone. Alice was sitting between her brother and boyfriend looking like she was trying to piece things together but honestly I really didn't want to right now. All I wanted was some aspirin and a nice soft and preferably silent bed to rest and sleep off the effect of what we drank and did.

"Hey, where's your jacket Eddie boy?" Emmett called after we had sat there for what felt like an hour but was probably less than 5 minutes. I glanced over to Edward who was rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly with a look similar to his sister's. "I, um, I think it's still in the room. Or maybe it's in the car." He was guessing but just the thought of his jacket and the car brought some fussy memories up.

_Edward, don't you dare. I mean it; it's a pool where you are meant to wear bathing suits not formal wear." I called as I began backing away from my closet friend. We had just made our way to the rather large hotel suit that our parents had all chipped in to keep us safe for the evening and decided to go exploring the hotel for some fun. The guys had already stripped down to their boxers and taken a dip and Rose had suggested that us girls go back up to the room to change since there was no way she was going to ruin her silk dress just to appease the boys desire to go swimming. And while both Alice and Rose were sitting down near the entrance of the pool, I had taken residence in one of the pool chairs near the other end, keeping watch over the clothes that the boys had stripped._

_He cracked that crooked smile that had caused me to give in so many times to the strange and insane ideas that had constantly gotten us in trouble over the years."Guys, don't you think that Bella here looks a little hot, maybe she should go for a quick dip." He called out getting the attention of both Jasper and Emmett within seconds. I started shaking my head hoping to get some help, or at least have the chance to make some attempt however trivial it would be to escape whatever they were planning. I felt the wall behind me before I realised where I was and I can tell you now that hurt like hell, especially when my head made contact with the wooden panelling that was on all walls. I was at least grateful that I had removed my shoes before we left the room since I constantly fell over every 10 minutes. "Boys, missing something?" my saviour called from the other side of the pool, gaining their attention while I started to side step away from their triple teaming of the smallest one in the group; hence the need for 5 inch heels as Alice said. I had made it past their arms and around closer to the entrance before they realised that I had gotten away when I noticed that Rosalie was holding their clothes over the side of the pool. "Run Bella." Alice cried as she and Rose threw the clothes that had been under my protection. Needless to say that I didn't need telling twice and had safely made it back to the room dry and comfortable._

I started to laugh with no prompting from anyone, which needless to say caused a few weary glances my way. "Probably at the bottom of the hotel pool where you two"- I pointed to Alice and Rose- "threw their clothes in an attempt at saving me from being thrown in fully dressed." I watched as they remembered our little trip and they joined me in the laugh fest knowing that we were going to be shot by at least one parent once they came to pick us up. "Alright so that at least gives us something to work with. Anyone else remember anything that happened last night after the pool incident?" Alice asked in her ever cheery voice that did not belong with us at this table. When none of us answered she huffed aloud. "Alright everyone empty your pockets or purse. Let's see what little mementos we kept from our night. Maybe we can work out what happened to end up here." She continued as she turned her purse upside down on the table. With nothing better coming to mind we all copied her move and threw everything into a pile in the middle of the table. I watched as Jasper shifted through taking out all our personal possessions and any identification that was not going to help us figure out what had happened.

"Alright who threw out the match box from the Dirty Dancers Club?" I asked because I knew that it wasn't me, and I doubled that it was one of the girls because all three of us thought it was a waste of space grabbing things like that. "That would be me." Emmett's grin was huge, almost like he just got offered a free ride to wherever he wanted to go; well he had but that was another issue for a different discussion at a later date. "Explain how and why you have a match box please." Rose turned to her man cocking her perfectly manicured eyebrow causing said man to swallow visibly. I couldn't help the little giggle that escaped my mouth as I quickly covered my mouth to stop any more from falling out. "Well Rosie sweetie. It sorta happened when you girls were complaining about wanting to dance and no night clubs being opened for another hour after we left that crappy excuse of a dance..."

_I threw myself into the chair just inside the outside patio that gave the best view of the ocean you would ever have known. "Alice crank up some tunes would you, I wanna dance." Rose had called from the bathroom where she had gone to refresh her makeup and fix her hair after running from the guys. I smiled thinking it was exactly what was running through my head at the same time. The run up to the room was an adrenalin rush like nothing I had ever felt. We had laughed as we made it into the elevator just as the doors closed leaving the guys to have to either wait for the elevator to make its way back down to the bottom floor after it reached every floor or take the stairs. Either way we had at least 10 more minutes before the came barging in the room. I watched as Alice made her way towards the huge entertainment system and started to randomly switch through the stations to find something we would all like. "I think ladies we need a drink." Rose announced standing right beside me making me jump like someone had pricked me with a pin or something. Trying to cover up my little freak session I stood up and made my way over towards the bar. We were lucky that as young up standing students of Forks High School and me being the daughter of the chief of police that the hotel left the bar stacked with everything we would ever want. I think it might have been the first time I ever praised Jebus that Charlie worked in law enforcement, Carlisle was a doctor and Jonathon was an upstanding lawyer in the communities around here. _

_I quickly set up some tequila shots and lined them up with the lemons and salt across the bar before I handed a cowboy to both my girls while keeping the third one for myself. Renee's flighty behaviour taught me many different tricks. "Girls we done it, we're getting out of this little town and going to where the big kids play." Alice chimed before we raised our little shot glasses and downed the drinks. "Remind me to thank Renee when she comes up next week for graduation." Rose laughed as she slammed her shot glass down on the bar. Before we could do anything else the guys came barging in the room dressed in what I hoped towels over their boxers and carrying their wet clothes. I literally fell down laughing at their faces as they were at different stages of embarrassment. Emmett looking the least bit worried about parading through a hotel with a towel wrapped around his waist and holding a pile of drenched clothes. Each boy took off towards the separate rooms where I would assume they were hanging their clothes over the heated towel racks to dry their clothes before the rejoined us. _

_I turned towards my girls watching some silent conversation play out in their eyes as matching smirks graced their faces. I began to get suspicious at what was going on as they turned towards me before they composed their faces. "Bella, can you help us out. We want body shots but you know the guys aren't gonna take it seriously." Alice cooed and I had to wonder if that cowboy hit her too fast that she was being so forward. "Yeah Bella you know they'll take it to the gutter if we ask them to help." Rose simmered and I knew that voice way too well to know that I was definitely not going to like what was coming next. "Later, I promise I'll help out later. I wanna dance." I called out hearing the doors open from the three rooms that adjoined the main room. I pulled them over towards the larger space and away from the prepared shots; ultimately saving whatever plan from coming to play. While we girls started dancing around to some ungodly music the guys had made their way towards the shots and started on some of the rows set up. _

_"Alright boys time to get out of this room and into the town. You coming or not?" Rose shot over towards the guys a little over an hour later and a few shots each taken. I think we were all buzzed as usually it takes the promise of missing the next shopping torture that Alice would make them endure before the whole club scene would be accepted by the three guys. They took off towards their designated rooms to get dressed and I had to wonder if their clothes would be dried by now. I didn't have to wait long as they came out looking just as good as they did before the dance started, but all missing their jackets and had their ties loosened to give off that relaxed and devil may care attitude that many guys failed miserably at. As I slid my feet into my death traps that Alice called heels we made our way towards the door, grabbing anything that may be required later; like identification, phones and possible room keys. We were laughing and carrying on like the young adults we were causing a few happy and some not so happy looks from others in the hotel while we waited for the elevator to make its way towards our floor. It didn't stop when we stepped into the elevator and it was still going strong as we made it towards the lobby of the hotel. Not knowing what time it was or where the best dance clubs were I quickly walked over towards the concierge to gain valuable information on the night life that surrounded P A. _

_After a quick thanks and a slip of $20 to cover our tracks I made my way over to the group who were carrying on about something. "Alright we have a dilemma, the club doesn't open for another hour and the girl rang to put my name on the list so we can go straight in. but what are we gonna do for the next hour at least." I asked them as we made our way towards the main doors and the waiting limo that was ours for the night. "Ask the driver?" Emmett shrugged, and you had to admit if anyone knew where we could have some fun until the club was open, it would be the diver. As we piled into the back of the car Edward made his way towards the barrier that separated us from the driver's compartment. "Hey can you take us where there's some dancing?" he asked the driver who smiled and nodded his head with a smile plastered on his face. After the divider thingy went back up we turned the music up and began back seat dancing and singing to whatever was playing through the speakers until we came to a stop and the driver made his way towards the door; opening it up for us to all climb out. _

_We stood there in front of some place that looked... interesting to say the least. 'The Dirty Dancers Club' looked interesting and had amazing music pumping out of the open doors. Shrugging my shoulders I hooked my arms through Rose's and Alice's arms and began to follow the guys towards the entrance. The bouncer at the door looked at our identification and turned towards our driver. Whatever they said or whatever they had set up he smiled and let us in with little trouble. My eyes just about bulged out of my head as I realized that we were in a strip joint and not some little night club. "You know I think we could do that." Rose's indifference to the place was intriguing, and her confidence in our ability to do anything without falling over with these heels on was flattering. We made our way towards the guys who had taken up residence at the closest table near the stage. I laughed as both Emmett and Jasper started asking the girls if they had any singles on them to put in the g-strings of the girls up on stage. Rather than waiting for the inevitable argument that was going to start, I slipped out of my chair and made my way towards the bar and ordered the drinks for our table. A raised eyebrow from the bar tender was the only inquiry concerning my age before I was handed a trey with three beers and three illusions. _

_Once placing the trey on the table I noticed that the boys had grins on their faces and the girls seemed resided to the idea of giving the ladies on stage their money. The smile on my face was huge as the sudden idea that popped in my head; rather than take my seat at the table I continued towards the dancer currently on stage. I couldn't tell anyone where the sudden confidence boost came from but I placed the $10 note between my cleavage as I turned around to face the table; throwing a wink to my friends I bent backwards over the stage. "Honey you belong up here with that kind of show." The dancer whispered in my ear before she removed the bill with her teeth. As I stood up I heard the cat calls and whistles from the crowd as I made my way back towards the table to my friend's stunned faces._

The sudden memory caused me to blush a shade of red I don't think I've ever created on my face before. "Oh My God, Bella you little minx, I still can't believe you did that." Alice squealed causing everyone to wince at the pitch she had been able to hit. "Be that as it may, it still doesn't explain how you got that match box." Rose gazed once more at Emmett awaiting his answer. "Simple I wanted to remember that hot little stunt that Bella pulled. Who knew she had that in her." his wicked smile and shrugging of his shoulders brought everyone to laugh at his relaxed attitude to what we and done, or at least what we could remember. I was just glad that as far as I knew I didn't take that dancer's invitation to join her up on stage.

We shifted through the little pile looking for something that would spark a memory, or give us some clue of what else we did last night. Simple things like recepts for late night food at the local kebab shop; or the long dead flowers from the park were pushed aside while we explored the contents still on the table. "Well which one of you got this number?" Rose waved the little napkin in the air as she looked around the group. "Call me if you want to hook up. Now that sounds like it had to do with a female receiving this little trophy." She continued as we racked our brains. "Who's James?" her voice crept a little too sweetly as she continued to wave the little slip around. "The bartender at the night club!" I blurted out, causing everyone to look at me. "Hey don't think so people, he's not one for the ladies. All I remember was that he asked me to hand this to the Texas Cowboy in case he was interested. And since I knew you definitely weren't interested Jazz I decided to not give it to you." I finished making sure that everyone realized I wasn't the one who had the secret admirer. "Now Jazz; you better run and hide. You don't want tall pale and fugly finding you soon." Alice cackled from her now perch on his legs.

"Alright, enough tormenting me and my obvious sex appeal to all within range let's find something else that might help us out." Jasper's initial shock of the whole situation obviously wearing off as he was able to join us in taking the shit out of him for it. We sat there going further into the depths of whatever we had done last night and finding some unique little treasures still yet to be explored. "So... anyone got an explanation for this one?" Edward asked holding up a garter belt that suspiciously looked like mine from under my dress. I could have passed it off as something that annoyed me during the night, except that it had been ripped so it no longer would hold onto my leg. "Oh, Bella you still got your one right?" Alice whisper-yelled at me making sure everyone in the room would hear it. I groaned as I felt my leg hoping that it was still there, but pretty much knowing that it was still in the hands of one Edward Cullen.

_We hit the club listening to the blaring music and dancing as we headed for the top of the line, much to the dismay of the people waiting in line. "Bella Swan." I answered the question that was going to be presented without needing to hear the bouncer's voice. I watched as he scanned the list on the clip board and nodded his head. "There with me." I pointed to my friends who quickly nodded their heads and followed me into the club. "Fuck me this place is a-maz-ing." Emmett cried over the music. We by-passed the bar and found a table not too close to the dance floor, yet far enough away that we would be able to hear each other if needed to. But it didn't take long for Emmett and Rose to start making out, or for Jasper and Alice to start teasing each other over the table._

_The sudden cough of a woman's voice gained the attention of all 6 of us, as the waitress started eating Edward with her eyes, I had to cover my mouth as the look of complete disgust crossed his features. The woman was at least 10 years his senior and he was never a cougar chaser much to the dismay of some of the single women in Forks."A present for the group from a secret admirer." She glanced over the table not singling out any of us except Edward. Shrugging our shoulders we sent our thanks and took the jelly shots like the champions that we are. "Ladies we came here because we wanted to dance. What the hell are we doing here at the table still?" I called over the music that was slowly getting better and louder. I guess they didn't need to be told more than once as I felt two sets of hands wrap around my arms and literally drag my ass to the dance floor. After a few songs we did what every group of sisters would do, started to grind on each other in such a way that looked "Fuck hot." As some guy called as he passed us, but held no significance to any of us. Eventually we were joined by the guys after I guess they had decidedthat the show was to end and soon. I felt Rose leave her spot behind me at the same time that Alice was dragged back by Jasper and Edward came and took her place._  
_"Bella y_

_ou are causing some issues with the guys in the clubs tonight." He purred in my ear, and I had to admit it caused some dampening in my panties but nothing really significant; it was just Edward and something he always did when we went out as a group. Alice would say it was to lay claim over me, but I still believed that it was more to do with the fact that we were both single and he wanted to keep me out of trouble. "Fuck Rose what the hell is that?" I heard Emmett groan seconds later as he ran his hand up the thigh reaching the garter belt that matched her corset and panty set she had under that dress. We all watched as he dragged her towards the table and sat her on the stool and stood between her legs, blocking any view that someone may have taken advantage of. "What's got Emm pretty much jizzing in his pants?" Jasper called over as we watched the smouldering make out session that was going on at the table. "That would be the little bit of fun she's got on under that dress." I called back and wanting to leave it as that. But no luck Alice had caught on what was happening and decided to fess up to what was hidden. "She's not the only one Bella." she winked at me seconds before that damned blush that constantly crept over my face giving away what we had hidden. _  
_Second_

_s later there was a rather large group surrounding our table as Emmett's hand was fisted in the air holding the red silken material in the air; and causing the group of on-lookers to holler and cheer as he flung it in the air. I laughed as Jasper picked up Alice and took her over to the table placing her gently on her stool as he too slid his hand up the dress. It was beyond obvious that he found the same little scrap of material that was snug against her satin skin. "Should I be worried?" Edward asked as we headed for our table taking our seats just as Jasper ducked down and removed the baby blue material off of Alice's leg. "No, but I think I might be." I laughed as the sudden expectation of the crowds eyes fell on me. "Baby, I think it's time to show the world the true meaning for corrupting innocence." Alice called over the table to Rose and the cheering of the crowd. "Innocence is meant to stay as it is thank you very much." I whimpered as the girls made their way towards me. "Come on Bella; let's make these guys really freak out." Rose whispered in my ear as Alice grinned up when she heard Rose's comment. They both bent down at the same time and began to bring my dress up higher to reveal my white silk garter, but not my panties that matched the belt. "I'm going to hell." I groaned as Rose placed the heel of my shoe on her now vacant stool before she and Alice took a side and began to peel it off my leg using their teeth, and flinging it into the crowd seconds later. _  
"What I

want to know is how it ended back with us and ripped as it was." Alice asked mostly to herself as I gently placed my head down on the table. "Well at least I was right about one thing last night, I am definitely going to hell, but I'll have some great company when I get there." I moaned bringing everyone to laugh. As we calmed down from our laughter, we once again set out to rifle through the little pile for more answers. "Now this I remember. How in the hell did you get the bouncer's name tag is beyond a mystery to me Bella." Jasper said as he held up the little plastic clip for everyone. "Easy I asked for it, said it was my big night out before I was being forced to join a convent so I needed something to remember the wild and crazy days of freedom." I shrugged my shoulders. I had to wonder if they were expecting a big story behind the little plastic tag. I don't think Demetri is really worried about it or he wouldn't have given it to me right?

"Okay so we went from Dirty Dancers Club to the night club where we picked up a number for Jazz, corrupted Bella's innocence, and picked up the bouncer's name tag. What happened next." Edward asked bringing us all back to the important part of the conversation. "Um, I think we went to the park where we ran through the night sprinklers, why they need them in the wettest area in the country I don't know." Rose answered and we could all see that Emmett was holding back his usual comment due to the issue at point. That being the semi-forgotten night we had. "That's right; Emmett placed Alice on the statue of the horse where she started to sing the theme song of Bonanza." Edwards chuckled at his little input. "Hey how is it you know that theme anyway Alice?" I asked as we turned towards said pixie with the unusual taste in shows apparently. "Dating a cowboy does things to your preferences." She responded with a straight face, before breaking down in giggles mere seconds later. "Alright, now I know we ended back at the room, what happened up there?" Rose brought us back to the reality of the situation with a thud.

_I ran into my room that I was apparently sharing with Edward to change into some dryer clothes and hung my dress on the hanger before turning on the heating lights to dry the dress. Stepping back into the room in just a hotel robe I found the girls similarly dressed and nursing the burburn and coke that I would assume Jasper had prepared. It was one of his favourite drinks and we always had to have at least one on one of our nights out. "Where's mine?" I called from the door making nearly everyone jump from my sudden outburst. I giggled as I noticed that the guys were trying to mi drinks by following the instructions on the back of the bottles not realising that it's gonna be a little hard since the bottle is upside down and all. "Bella go help them. Please it's a travesty to waste such liquid as they are." Rose stage whispered in my ear as she fell back onto the lounge she was currently residing on. Groaning at the idea of having to teach the art of grabbing the right liquor and mixing it correctly I made my way somewhat unsteadily towards the three guys who looked hilarious._

_"Ladies you still want some help" I had already set up the shots and placed the lemons and salt shakers on the bar with a step ladder at one end to help everyone get up on the bar. The guys not knowing what was going on just stood there dumb founded as both Alice and Rose shot up from their respected seats and made their way towards the bar."Alright who's the lucky victim?" I asked while my head was down looking for some ice to sit the bottle with the remaining tequila to rest in. "Bella how about you climb up on the bar here?" Alice cooed as I froze with those words. "No, no, no; I'm playing bar tender here; not being the bar." I pleaded as the boys looked over at our little situation. "Why is Bella looking like she's gonna be red within seconds?" Jasper called from his seat as he downed the remains of his favourites drink. "Body shots and Bella here is going to be our little table aren't you Bella." Alice said gently but with little to no escape for me to take. I looked over at my only chance of escape, the boys; or more specifically Emmett and Jasper. If those two were able to be the bar for the girls I might be free from becoming furniture. I watched as they passed a look between them before I knew my fate was sealed. "We're in." they chorused as they jumped up and literally ran over towards the bar. _

"You know you all suck right; the last thing I remember from last night was becoming a piece of furniture and some tongues running up my neck." I grumbled as they laughed. Now I would normally laugh with them but it was probably the reason why we were in this place to begin with. "Okay last thing, how the hell do we have two key chains that say hitched at the Sea Side Wedding Chapel?" I picked up the two chains and looked carefully at the writing on the little pieces of plastic. "Holy shit, we're in trouble." I think my eyes grew to the size of sauces as I read the inscription aloud. "Congratulations to the happy couple on their wedding day; 18-10-2010." We sat there in silence, not knowing waht to say. We just stared at each other as the shock and the true realisation of what happened last night. Two of us are now husband and wife, fingers with diamonds and gold wrapped around them flashed through my memory. "Girls hands up on the table." I was amazed that my voice was even there. "Bella what about you?" Emmett asked, and really I think since I was the only single female in the room it was a given. "Emmett, I know we drank a lot; but out of the three of us girls, who's the one single?" Rose asked as he sat there nodding his head. I watched as my two best female friends placed their hands on the table; neither of them sporting new rings on their fingers. I watched as Jasper reached down and took both my hands and placed them on the table. There it was; a gold band with a single diamond. We all recognised that ring; it was Esme's promise ring that Edward hung around his neck. Something that she always said he was to give to his future wife.

All heads shot towards Edward as the realisation that something more than just fun happened last night; something that had more consequences than any of us would have imagined. "Bro, hand's up." Emmett sounded like he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not, me I was just damn near passing out with all this. Slowly he placed his left hand on the table. There sat a single gold band on his second finger. We all jumped as the door to the interrogation room burst open with all our parents flowing through, but none of us could say anything. "Does someone want to explain why we were called at 6 am saying that our children had been arrested for drunken and disorderly behaviour; disturbing the peace and damaging town property?" Jonathon asked as he looked at his two children. "Isabella Marie Swan you better be able to explain yourself. I expected better from you." My father; the chief of police yelled at me, making me jump. "Bella, why are you wearing my ring?" Esme whispered as her head shot from my left hand towards her sons. Yeah, I'm in trouble.


	14. Uptown Girl

**Please remember to read all 11 entries before voting : )**

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**Author: Secamimom**

**Song: Uptown Girl by Billy Joel**

**Lyric used: **_**"You know I can't afford to buy her pearls"**_**  
**

Wiping my hands on the rag I pulled from my back pocket, I walked back into the office, tossing the work order on the counter. It landed swiftly on the pile of work orders that had yet to be completed, even though we had all been working our asses off lately. Being one of the only body shops in the area that worked on classic cars kept us up to our fucking necks in work. You wouldn't hear any of us complaining though. Although we didn't make enough money individually to drive one of these classic cars, it still thrilled us all to be able to work on them.

"The Mustang is all done. I should be able to start on the Plymouth first thing in the morning," I said, as I poured myself a cup coffee that had probably been sitting in the pot all day. Aro nodded his head and continued looking at the small television set he had sitting in the corner. Aro Volturi was getting a little older now and wasn't able to do the body work on cars that he wanted to, but that didn't stop him from being around the shop every day.

I had worked here at Volturi Body Shop since I was sixteen. My dad told me that I needed to go out and find a job to help bring some money into the household. Since I definitely couldn't see myself flipping some fucking burgers at the local diner or bagging groceries down at the supermarket, I figured Volturi's was my only bet. And since I had always had a love for cars, I figured it would be pretty easy.

After I graduated high school, I took a couple of classes at the local community college on car repair and body work. I decided that I didn't want to attend a fancy four year university and become some fancy doctor or lawyer or other bull shit like that. Working here at the body shop was just fine for me, and I had been here ever since.

I sat down on the ugly old leather couch facing the counter and sipped my coffee, taking a few seconds to relax before I headed home. A few minutes later Emmett and Seth came in. Emmett had been working here a few years and was the closest thing to a brother I had. He and his wife Rose moved here to Seattle to be closer to her father when he got sick. Rose knew almost as much about cars as Emmett and I did.

Seth was the newest guy here. He had just graduated high school when he came here wanting a job. Aro had a way of knowing shit about people and their lives and hired the kid on the spot. When Seth showed up, he looked like he had the shit beat out of him - black eye, busted lip, bruises on his arms. Turns out Seth needed the job so that he could get out from under his father who liked to use him as his own personal punching bag. He looked up to Emmett and I like his big brothers and Aro like the father he always wanted.

"Seth and I finished up with the Corvair and we're gonna start on the Impala first thing tomorrow," Emmett said, as he grabbed a soda out of the small fridge and tossed one to Seth. Aro continued watching whatever bullshit show he had on while Emmett, Seth and I sat around talking about nothing.

Suddenly, as if we were waiting on the sound of a pin dropping, the room fell silent as the thunder of a high performance Chevy filled the air. As the motor continued to count 'em off, we all rushed to the front window in wonder. Out front sat a 1972, candy apple red Chevy Nova with a black rag top. _My fucking dream car._ From the sounds the engine was making I could pretty much bet that a 350 was under the hood.

We all craned our heads trying to find out what lucky son of a bitch was driving this car. After a few moments, the driver's side door swung open and I swear all our jaws dropped. A pair of long, thin legs wearing a pair of fucking hot heels stepped out of the car and shut the door behind her. Her long brown hair moved as the wind swirled around her. She was wearing a tight, black, business type suit that accentuated every fucking curve of her luscious body. _Fuck me._

"Holy shit," Emmett said as we all looked at the beautiful woman that had vacated the car. She stood beside the car for a few seconds looking around to see if anyone was actually around.

Seth and I looked at each other and then practically knocked each other down as we raced to the front door as the beauty approached. I reached the door first as flung it open, scaring her in the process as she jumped back in shock.

"Sorry about that," I said, trying to show her my best smile. She smiled back slightly and stepped inside the room. I suddenly regretted the way I looked. I had on a pair of jeans that had definitely seen better days, a black wife beater, a pair of black work boots and topped off the look with a bandanna tied around my mess of hair. The way this woman was dressed, she wouldn't give a guy like me a second look.

She stepped up to the counter as Aro stopped his gawking and returned to his spot behind it. She fidgeted with her hands while she waited for him to regain his professional demeanor.

"Hello, ma'm. Welcome to Volturi's. What can I do for you today?" he asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. Aro always had a way with the ladies, at least back in his day. Emmett, Seth and I all snickered at his blatant flirting with the woman.

"Hi, my name is Bella. My car was side swiped pretty badly yesterday while I was parked downtown and I wanted to get it fixed. I heard you guys were the best around in dealing with classics, so here I am," she said. Her voice sounded so fucking sexy as she spoke and it went straight to my cock.

"Okay. But it's gonna be quite a while before we can get to it, probably about a month or so," Aro told her as he looked through the pile of work orders on the counter. Bella twisted her hands together as she listened to Aro.

"Is there any way you can fit it in sooner? I can pay extra if I need to," she said frantically as Aro stood there shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, Miss. But I really don't see a way that I can get to it sooner," Aro told her sadly. I suddenly stepped up beside Bella and propped my elbow up on the counter.

"I can do it. I'll come in this weekend and get it done," I said to both Bella and Aro. Aro looked at me shocked, knowing that I had already asked for the weekend off weeks ago. I really had nothing important planned, I just wanted a weekend off. But I would gladly give up a free weekend to work on my dream car, and doing it for a beautiful woman just helped seal the deal.

"Edward, are you sure? I know you hate..." Aro said, but Bella cut in quickly.

"Really, I would hate to put you out," she said shyly, as a strand of her hair fell in front of her face. I longed to reach out and tuck the strand behind her ear, but kept myself from doing so.

"It's no problem. I wouldn't mind it at all," I told her honestly. And like I said, working on her car would be a dream come true for me.

Aro stepped outside and walked around her car, assessing the damage as she stood by biting on her lower lip. I stood inside, glancing from the car to Bella and back again, trying to figure out which was more beautiful in my mind. Clearly, I couldn't decide.

"So Edward..." Emmett said, slapping his arm around my shoulder, "... is this about the car or the woman?" We both laughed a little as I continued my ogling.

"Honestly Emmett, I couldn't tell ya," I said, laughing. He walked away continuing to laugh as Aro stepped back into the office.

"Where's Bella?" I asked him, not even trying to hide my obvious attraction for the woman. Aro looked at me and shrugged.

"She called someone to pick her up and said she'd wait outside until he got here," he said as he finished filling out the work order for the car. I glanced back outside as some fancy as shit car pulled up that probably cost more than I made in a year. Bella walked over and got inside and reached over and hugged the driver. Of course a beautiful woman like that is taken.

"Relax kid," Aro said as he noticed me practically growling at the fucker that had just pulled up. "She said she was calling her cousin."

"Oh," I said as I felt the tension release from my body. Aro laughed and shook his head as he looked back down at the papers on his desk. I turned and walked out the front door just as the car drove off. Turning my attention back to the sweet ride in front of me, I wondered what on Earth a girl like Bella was doing with such a fine piece of machinery. I was sure she didn't have a clue what she was driving or how much power it had. I couldn't wait to get my hands under that hood.

**/MUG\\MUG/MUG\\**

By Sunday afternoon I was finished with Bella's Nova. When I pulled her car into the garage, I decided to be a nosey fucker and take a look at what was under the hood. When I saw what was there, I almost fucking came in my pants. Under the hood was a 400 small block with a high rise Edelbrock intake with a 4 barrel Holly carburetor. To say I was in love was an understatement. This car and everything under its hood had been my dream since I was old enough to drive.

I had loved working on the body of the Nova and was a little sad to have to take it back to Bella, but I was excited to be able to return it to her a little earlier than expected. I was hoping that I could return her car to her and maybe ask her out to dinner or something. Ever since Bella brought her car in, she had been on my mind constantly. She was beautiful and mysterious, and I really wanted to get to know her better.

I walked into the empty office and found the work order listing Bella's home address. Hopefully she wouldn't get too upset about me lifting her address off her paperwork. Grabbing the keys, I jogged back out to the Nova and started her up. _I could really get used to driving this baby around._

A few minutes later, I pulled into some fancy ass neighborhood located uptown that held nothing but large brick houses with white picket fences and two car garages. I was totally out of my element here. I looked down at the paper I had written Bella's address on and matched it to the one on the house in front of me. There were cars parked all along the driveway so it took a few minutes for me to park.

I shut the car off, pocketing the keys, and stepped out. Looking down at my attire, I groaned, wishing like hell I would have changed. I had on holey jeans and a wife beater again, but at least I didn't have the damn handkerchief on my head. Casually walking up to the front door, I rang the bell and waited for her to answer. A few minutes later the door swung open and some fucker wearing a damn suit and tie stood before me.

"Can I help you?" the fucker asked me, his eyebrow raised in question. I smiled the best I could, knowing full and well all I wanted to do was knock the shit out of this guy. I could practically hear his thoughts. _What is this piece of trash doing in a neighborhood like this? He shouldn't be here._

"Yes, I'm here to see Bella Swan. I have her car ready for her," I said, pulling the keys from my pocket and dangling them in front of his face. He narrowed his eyes at me and turned quickly around. I noticed there were a lot of people gathered in the other room, sipping drinks and probably gossiping about the neighborhood whore. I quickly spotted Bella and she wasn't alone. A guy stood next to her, his arm wrapped around her waist as she leaned into him, smiling at laughing with the others in the group.

"Isabella," the man in front of me called out. I reached an arm out and grabbed his shoulder to turn him around. I needed to get out of here. I am just glad I saw her with that guy before I made a complete fool of myself by asking her out.

"You know what," I told him, handing the keys over to him, "just let her know it was a pleasure working on her car." I quickly walked off before she could realize I was here. Walking down the sidewalk and out of the neighborhood, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Emmett's number.

"Hey man, do you think you can give me a ride home?" I hadn't planned on needing a ride home, hoping that Bella could do it. But she was too preoccupied with her rich, uptown friends to even worry about me or what I wanted.

"Yeah, sure. What happened? I thought you were going to take Bella's car back and ask her out?" I had told Emmett that morning that Bella had been on my mind since I met her and that I planned on asking her out.

"Just come get me. I'll tell you when you get here." I told him the address and sat down on the sidewalk and waited for him. After a few minutes, Emmett pulled up in his jeep and I hopped inside.

"Thanks man. I really wasn't expecting to need a ride," I told him as I buckled up and he pulled off. I was fucking frustrated. All I could think of was Bella the past few days and now seeing her here, in her world, I knew she was completely out of my league.

"So, what happened? I know you planned on asking her out. Did you even do it? Did she turn you down?" he asked as we cruised down the highway towards my house.

"No man, I didn't even ask her. Seeing her there, with all her uptown, uptight friends just made me realize a lot. You know I can't afford to buy her pearls. I can't afford to take her to some fancy ass restaurant. Hell, I probably can't even afford half the shit she is used to having. I pretty much just can't afford her," I said as I slumped down further in my seat.

"Edward, you don't even know her man. Maybe she isn't like that," Emmett said, always trying to find the silver lining in any situation.

"Just drop it Em. I'm done with it," I said, getting out as he pulled in front of my apartment complex. "Later, man."

**/MUG\\MUG/MUG\\**

I called in Monday and asked Aro if I could take the day off since I had worked all weekend on Bella's car. That is how I found myself having to stay at the shop late on Tuesday since we had gotten a little backed up without me. I would gladly take the extra work though, needing something to keep my mind busy. It did little to help though because I was still constantly thinking of her.

I walked over to the shelf on the wall and turned the stereo up, trying to drown out the thoughts in my head. I continued to work on the car in front of me as I tapped my foot with the music floating around me. When the room suddenly went silent, I whipped myself around in surprise.

"What the fuck?" I asked, before turning around and seeing Bella smiling sheepishly as she pulled her hand away from the stereo. I wiped my hands on the rag from my pocket and walked over to her.

"Hey," she said quietly as she looked down at her feet. I was still baffled as to why she was here, unless it was to complain about my work. Which I wouldn't understand but with my luck it was probably the case.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" I asked her not even trying to hide the disdain in my voice.

"I came by yesterday to see you, but you weren't around. I spoke to Emmett," she said. I immediately regretted opening my mouth to Emmett. There was no telling what that fucker had said. I let my chin drop to my chest as I ran my hand through my hair in frustration.

"What you saw Sunday afternoon was not me at all," she whispered quietly. I looked up at her and lifted my eyebrow in question.

"Oh really? So I didn't see you in some guy's arms, laughing and joking it up with your rich ass friends?" I practically growled it at her. She crossed her arms in front of her and a look of anger crossed her face.

"Yeah, you saw that, but that isn't me. I hate my life. My mother pushes me to do all that stupid society shit and I fucking hate it," she said. The anger in her voice along with her cursing went straight to my dick. I thought she was beautiful when she was shy and sweet, but fucking hell was she gorgeous when she was pissed.

"Yeah, we have money, but it really means nothing to me. Before my dad died, he made sure that he instilled in me a need for wanting to earn stuff for myself. He never handed shit to me on a silver platter, I worked for everything. Hell, on my fifteenth birthday he came home with a shitty ass car and told me that if I wanted a car to drive by the time I was sixteen, that we would have to fix it," she said, gesturing to her car parked out front.

Suddenly, a memory of when I first started working here at Aro's filled my mind.

_I was sixteen years old and had only been working here a week. An old, rusted up car pulled into the lot and parked right in front of me.  
_  
_"Do you know where Aro is, son?" the man who had just gotten out of the car asked me. I pointed towards the front office as I kept my eyes on the car in front of me._

_The car was a Chevy Nova, I knew that much. But the car isn't what was keeping my attention. In the passenger seat was the most beautiful girl I had ever laid my eyes on. She had long, wavy brown hair and the biggest brown eyes I had ever seen. _

I remembered thinking in my head that day that if a girl that beautiful rode in a car like that, that was the car I would have. That is how the 1972 Chevy Nova became my dream car. And Bella, evidently, was my dream girl.

"Holy shit," I whispered, as I ran my hands over my face, my eyes darting between Bella and her car.

"What, Edward? What is it?" she asked, placing her hand on my arm.

"Your dad? What was his name?" I asked her grabbing her hand and holding it in mine.

"Charles Swan. Well, he probably gave the name Charlie since that is what he wanted his friends to call him," she said, still not understanding what was running through my head.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it. I was here the day your dad brought your car in. I saw you that day. You were sitting in the front seat and then you..." I said, but Bella interrupted me.

"Got out and sat on the hood of the car. Oh my gosh, I can't believe it was you! I remember you too!" she practically squealed, letting go of my hand and stepping back.

"I remember thinking you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I made the 1972 Chevy Nova my dream car after that," I told her honestly.

"Oh, you mean my car? The one out there?" she questioned as she twirled a piece of hair around her finger, flirting. I nodded my head as she stepped closer towards me.

"You mean my car with the 400 small block with a high rise Edelbrock intake with a 4 barrel Holly carburetor?" she asked as I looked at her shocked.

"Holy fucking shit, that was hot," I said growling at her and gripping her waist tightly as I pulled her towards me. I grabbed the back of her head with one hand, leaving the other at her waist and pulled her lips to mine. The kiss was full of passion and longing and heat.

As we continued kissing, Bella's hands gripped the bottom of my shirt and we broke away, only long enough for her to pull it from my body. I began kissing and nipping at her neck as her moans urged me on. Her hands ran up and down the expanse of my back as I continued my assault on her neck. Bella gripped my hair tightly, with both hands, and pulled my head up to look at her.

"I want you Edward," she said before she pulled my face towards her, kissing me passionately. I gripped her ass in my hands, lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around my waist, thanking God that she had worn a skirt today. I kneaded her ass with my hands as I began kissing and sucking the skin of her chest that had become exposed to me.

"God yes Edward," she moaned as she moved her neck allowing me more access. I looked around for somewhere to put her down so I could properly worship her body. Then it hit me exactly where we were at.

"Bella, fuck...I want you so bad. But I can't do this here, not like this. You deserve so much more than this," I groaned. I made a move to put her back down on the ground, but she locked her arms and legs tighter around me.

"No, fuck that Edward. I am not some fucking porcelain doll that you have to be afraid of breaking," she said, gripping my hair tightly in both her hands. "I asked you to fuck me and that is what I want. Edward, I want you to fuck me. I need you to fuck me." I looked at her, my eyes hooded with lust and longing.

"Oh you really shouldn't have said that," I growled as I pushed her against the nearest wall and began grinding myself against her lower body. Bella reached between us and undid the buttons on my jeans and released my aching cock. I groaned when I felt her warm hand wrap around it and move up and down slightly.

"This is probably going to be hard and quick," I growled at her as I pushed aside the damp panties that covered her warm pussy. I ran the head of my cock up and down her as she wiggled and moaned.

"I don't care. We have time for sweet and slow later. I want you to fuck me now." Bella was barely finished speaking as I entered her with one quick thrust. I almost wept at the feeling of finally being completely surrounded by her.

Bella ran her nails down my back, probably leaving marks, as she mewled in pleasure. I kept up the hard, deep thrusts, gripping her body tightly to me. I could feel the heels of her shoes digging into my ass as she locked her legs tighter around me.

"Oh fuck, Edward," she cried out as her pussy clenched tightly around me as she came.

"Fuck yeah," I growled as I thrust into her, coming so hard my knees were shaking. As we slowed our breathing, I lowered her back to the floor and kissed her softly. As I pulled away, she smiled widely, yet shyly, at me.

"That was..." she said, before I interrupted her.

"Fucking awesome," I said, smirking at her. She nodded her head in agreement. We both straightened out our clothing, neither one of us speaking.

"So, were you done here or did you need to do something else?" she asked, motioning to the car in front of us. I shook my head.

"No, I'm done. Why? Did you wanna do something?" I asked her, winking. She shook her head as she blushed.

"Yeah, something other than what we just did. Although, I wouldn't mind a repeat performance sometime soon." I laughed and walked over to her, pulling her body into mine and kissing her deeply.

"Oh, I think I can handle that request," I said as we walked hand in hand towards her car. We stopped in front of it and she tossed me her keys.

"Take me somewhere. I don't care where. Let's just get out of here," she said as she walked over to the passenger side. I hopped in the car and started the engine. I was sitting in the car of my dreams and had the girl of my dreams beside me. Life couldn't get much better than this.


	15. You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This

**Please remember to read all 11 entries before voting : )**

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**Title: A Different Feel About You**  
**Penname: AgoodWITCH**  
**Summary: From the time they met through Jake in college, Bella and Edward were best friends. When her world falls apart and he's the one to pick up the pieces, could their friendship grow into something more?**  
**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, that's the creation of Stephenie Meyer. This story is rated M for language and lemons.**  
**Song Line Used: "If you do, baby, kiss me again" from "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" by Toby Keith**

**EPOV**

The morning passed slowly as I waited for 3pm to come so I could leave work early to get Bella from the airport. She was flying in to spend a week in the city, claiming she needed a change of scenery. I'd known her for 12 years, ever since she walked into my dorm with her boyfriend and my new roommate, Jacob Black.

Jake and I got along great and he was thrilled that I became such good friends with her. We were a trio, and when he'd go on road trips with the football team, we would hang out.  
They were my best friends, but recently, the phone calls had come less frequently and the emails were shorter. This trip had been postponed three separate times until she finally called me last week asking if a last minute trip was okay.

When she came into view at the security checkpoint, I couldn't help but smile. Even as tired as she looked, she was beautiful. Her eyes were trained on the floor as she walked closer, bumping into some tourists and nearly falling over. I wasn't able to hold in my laugh as she looked up and our eyes met at last.

"You have to watch where you're going. People stop short to look up at all the tall buildings here."

"You'll never let me live that down, will you?" She smiled and blushed, coloring her cheeks as her eyes fluttered closed.

"Come on, let's get you out of here and catch up, it feels like forever since we've talked." I led her through the terminal and over to baggage claim. I fought the crowds to pull her two bags, complete with the tassels, off the carousel and then went out towards the parking lot.

I noticed that she seemed a little sad and I wondered what could have happened to make her so upset. Walking up to my car, I loaded her luggage while she settled into the front seat.  
The traffic back to the city from Queens was awful and Bella seemed to get tenser the longer she sat with me in the bumper to bumper traffic. I looked over and asked if anything was bothering her and she told me we'd talk about it over dinner.

Pulling into my building's parking garage, she popped out and took the large garment bag and her purse and followed me to the elevator. We rode quietly to my floor and then walked down to my apartment at the far end of the hall.

Entering the apartment, she looked around in awe. "When did you decorate?"

"What are you talking about? This place was decorated before; I've lived here for five years."

She shook her head and waved her arms for emphasis. "No, you had furniture, and _some_ accessories, but now your walls are actually painted and everything ties into the dark mahogany have artwork, which includes one of my paintings that I sold at a show you didn't attend."

I shrugged. "I couldn't fly to Seattle, so I checked out the catalogue online and made sure that it was mine. It really is an exceptional piece of artwork. Just like the duck you painted me in college."

"Oh my God! Tell me you got rid of that?" She squeaked and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Nope. The Dazed Duck is in my home office. It helps when I'm hacking through someone's grammatical catastrophe to look up and see real talent. I love when you shy away from convention; it's when you're at your best."

"Speaking of breaking convention, did you pick up the food I asked you to, because I have a recipe that will blow your mind."

Smiling at a hint of the old Bella, I motioned towards the kitchen as I brought her things to the guest room right next to mine and then settled in to check my emails in the living room as I'd learned that Bella, like my mother, was not someone you messed with when she was cooking.

I sat there with my work and personal email accounts, Facebook, and tweetdeck all open, popping up and giving me ADD. As I got through the rest of the work stuff and started in on the various messages from my parents, siblings and friends I saw a tweet that caught my attention. Maximizing tweetdeck, I read the tweet from Jake as clear as day.

_ClaireBear247 That's right, I'm gonna be a dad! #BestDayEver_

I was completely at a loss for words as I saw the message. Bella was pregnant? How could she be sitting on this news? Jumping off the couch, I ran into the kitchen to ask her about it when I saw her stirring the sauce, a bottle of Stella Artois tipped up to her lips.

"Bella, what are you doing?" I yelled louder than I meant to and she jumped, beer spilling down her chest.

"Cooking?" She looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Not that, the beer! You shouldn't be drinking in your condition."

She stared at me harder as the color drained from her face. "What condition?"

I motioned towards the living room and my computer. "I saw Jake's tweet, I know about the baby."

"Son of a bitch!" She roared and ran to my computer, picking it up and then screeching and throwing it down on the couch again, thoroughly scaring me, not only for her, but the laptop that held the manuscript I was currently halfway through editing. "I'm not pregnant! The bitch Jacob cheated on me with is. I haven't even told Charlie we got a divorce yet and he had to broadcast it on the internet…it's even his fucking Facebook status."

Bella sat on the couch her hands framing her face as she looked at the floor, but all I could think about was what she had just divulged. She and Jake were divorced. Jake had cheated on her and knocked up his mistress. The only happily married couple I knew besides my parents, who also happened to be my two best friends, were broken up. What the fuck!

I was still standing ramrod straight when she stood up and flew past me. It took a moment to hear her banging around in the guest room before she walked out trying to carry all her bags at once. "I shouldn't have come here. You were his friend first, so of course you don't know how to-"

"Stop!" She froze and I walked over to her, taking her luggage and sitting it on the floor. "He may have been my friend first, but that was a fluke of housing assignments. You and I have become much closer than he and I are…he won't even fly out to see me, which I think was as much him knowing I'd see what a sack of shit he was as him claiming we needed our friend time alone. He doesn't call me once a week to make sure I'm not eating takeout every night, or tweet to me about the idiots at our jobs, or email me dirty jokes and pictures that could get me fired if I was on my work computer. That's all you. So if anyone wins custody of me in the divorce, it's you!"

As soon as I finished, Bella collapsed and I caught her, the tears finally coming as she crumpled against my chest. Carrying her to the couch, I went to the kitchen to call to order a pizza and took the sauce off the stove; there'd be time for her to show me her new favorite recipes, but it wasn't tonight. Returning to the living room, I sat next to Bella and tried to console her.

"Am I really that horrible? I've been telling him I wanted to start a family for a while, but he's always said it wasn't the right time. I guess that was just another one of the lies he fed me. It's been going on for over a year. I went to his office one night to surprise him, we hadn't been _intimate_ in a month so I thought if I made it a little dangerous he'd get into the mood, but I opened the door and saw his personal assistant bent over his desk. It's just so fucking cliché! I mean, come on, fucking your 23 year old secretary…"

I squeezed her shoulders and hugged her to me, hoping to comfort her some. "Bella, there is _nothing_ wrong with you. He's an asshole for not seeing what he had waiting at home for him. For him to go after some bimbo when he had a fuckhot-" Bella scoffed and I tapped her arm, because we always smacked each other when we started getting too down on ourselves, and then continued. "Fuckhot wife like you. If you showed up to my office with some hot little outfit on with the soul design being to seduce me, I would never be able to concentrate at my desk again."

Bella rolled her eyes and then snuggled back into my chest. "You're so biased. The rose colored glasses were always firmly in place when it came to me."

I pulled back and made her look me in the eyes. "Bella, I'm serious. You're the ungettable get. The kind of girl guys dream of and he had you and managed to fuck it up. I blame it on all the hits he took in football."

She laughed at the football crack and the tears slowed down. "Thanks Edward. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it's just so embarrassing and I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't want to lose the one good thing left in my life."

I kissed the top of her head and whispered, "You can't lose me; I'm not going anywhere."

Just then the buzzer sounded, letting me know that the pizza had arrived. We tabled the talk of heavier subjects as beer and pizza won out for the rest of the night. Moving her bags back to the guest room we both went to bed, exhausted by the events of the evening. I was lying in bed when my phone rang. I reached over to see it was Jake, so I decided to answer and see what he was calling about.

"Hey E, did our girl get there alright?"

The way he still referred to her as 'our' girl after what he did had me sitting up and talking through gritted teeth. "She isn't yours, and she hasn't been since the moment you started fucking around on her. I can't believe you! 14 years together didn't mean something to you? Don't call me again. Bella became my best friend in this trio a long time ago and now that you've destroyed your relationship with her, I'm not going to hurt her more by continuing to talk to someone who doesn't have the common decency to call and say hi more than a few times a year. But to answer your question, Bella's plane landed fine."

I slammed the phone shut and threw it on the nightstand before rolling over to fall asleep.

When I woke up the next morning, I could smell the bacon in the frying pan and knew that Bella was up. Walking into my kitchen to see her pajama clad form expertly preparing a meal warmed my heart. She was my best friend, and I was determined to make this better for her.

"I'm going to call my office and see about working from home for a few days, I have the manuscript on my laptop so it shouldn't be an issue for-"

"No. Don't worry about it. I have a few things to do and it wouldn't make sense for you to stay home when I won't even be here. Really, Edward, I'm fine. I just have to call my dad today and tell him, which I'm _so_ not looking forward to."

I nodded. "Okay, well take the spare apartment key from the hook over there." I gestured to the decorative hook plate by the entrance to the kitchen and she smiled as the bacon made its way out of the frying pan. The eggs were next and soon we were sitting at the bar talking about her plans for the day.

"I think I'm going to head to the museums, or maybe the park…I don't know it'll depend on my mood, I guess." I smiled at her indecision. She always had more plans than time.

"Well whatever you do, save MoMA for me, I want to see your face at the new exhibits. You'll lose your mind!"

Her giggle was infectious as it filled the room and with another look at the time on the microwave, I knew it was time to get ready for work. "I'll call you later," was the last thing I heard as we both disappeared into our rooms.

Work was crazy and it was a good thing I had been there as my boss was flipping out about a book coming in with no one to do the illustrations. Personally, it wasn't something that involved me, but it didn't stop the screaming from finding its way into my office.

When Bella called me and asked if I'd meet her at Bryant Park for lunch, it was a godsend. Running down the stairs so as not to incur the wrath of the very unhappy Jessica Stanley, I came out of the stairwell on the 27th floor and took the elevator from there. Walking the few blocks to the park, I saw her sitting at one of the high tables around the little kiosk.

Taking a bite into my sandwich as Bella picked at hers, I was worried that maybe Jake had called in reference to my rant last night. I didn't want her to take on the blame for the end of that friendship, but I knew that she would regardless of what I told her. Her fidgeting didn't get any better, so I once again went the tactless route.

"Come on, whatever it is can't be worse than what you told me last night."

She looked up and blushed, dropping the napkin she had been shredding. "Would you be upset if I moved here?"

Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that. "Move here? What about your job? I mean, I understand wanting a fresh start, but I don't think this is something you should do spur of the moment."

"Edward, when have I ever done something spur of the moment? Ever since I found out about Jake and Leah I've been trying to figure out how I would move on. Everything in Seattle is too steeped in history and I wouldn't want to move somewhere where I knew no one. The gallery I work for has a location in New York as well. My boss made the call before I came out here and I just met with the Angela Weber. She's great and told me she'd love to have me on her staff. I'd be able to sell some of my pieces downstairs and if it did well I might even get a showing at some point. New York is a big art city and I could really do well here. Besides, it isn't like I have a place to live in Seattle now."

"Wait, what? Why don't you have a place to live? What happen to the apartment?"

Bella shrugged. "I didn't want to live there anymore. It held too many memories for me. So Jake jumped at the opportunity and had the place appraised with the furniture and gave me the half I was entitled to in cash. I figured the money would be better anyway because I didn't know where I would end up."

"So you're seriously going to move here?" The idea of having Bella in my life all the time was too much. It wasn't until the option was available that I realized how badly I wanted her there with me.

Bella started giggling again, something she seemed to do more and more now, and I knew this was something to celebrate. "We're going out on Friday before your flight out this weekend. I want you to meet some of my friends and you need to have some fun before going home to finish all the details of the move."

Bella jumped off the chair and ran around to throw her arms around me in a tight hug. "Thank you! I'm so glad that you're being so supportive, I really need my best friend."

I hugged her back and then my phone rang, letting me know that I had to get back to the office. Bella and I parted ways and I hustled through the rest of my day, excited to get home.

I arrived home to the Italian dish that had been scrapped last night as Bella worked her magic. It hadn't been since we all lived together in college in that tiny rundown apartment off-campus that I'd had her home-cooked meals on a regular basis, but now that was a possibility again. Thinking about where she'd be living, led me to the subject I was about to brooch. "So, Bella, do you know where you want to move?"

She looked at me over her right shoulder and shrugged before turning back to the stove. "I hadn't really thought that far, I was actually going to ask if you minded me staying here while I found something. I promise I won't get in the way of you and any women you may or may not entertain here, I'll be a model roommate."

I laughed at her promise and then felt the edges of my lips meet my cheeks. "You can stay here as long as you need to. So, how long will you be going back for?"

Continuing to talk behind her, she postured a little in front of the stove. "I don't know. I have to schedule for them to move my pod, pack up all my art and supplies and have everything that isn't staying at the gallery shipped out. Charlie will want to see me once he hears about the divorce and I have to see Jake-"

"Why are you going anywhere near him?" I was very apprehensive of her going anywhere near him.

"He has my laptop."

"He what?" I was pissed, what in the hell made him think he had the right to hold her computer hostage.

"It's fine; it was reformatted after I got a virus, so he doesn't have any of my files. But he got a call at the apartment and went to pick it up from the repair place. He knew I wouldn't go see him unless I had a reason."

"Bella, I'll buy you a new computer. I don't want you to see him."

Bella rolled her eyes as she finished up plating our dinner and went to get our drinks. "Edward, he can't hurt me, I just want to get it and be done with it. I should be back within a week. Then I get to start my life over."

I walked over and took her hands in mine. "You didn't deserve any of this. I'll just be glad when you're free of him."

Bella and I sat down and began eating. "The divorce made me realize a bunch of things, things I turned a blind eye to for way too long."

"Like what?" I asked curiously, but Bella's expression let me know that she meant it as a way to soothe me about everything she had gone through, and not as a transition into another conversation, so I dropped it.

When dinner was over, Bella and I settled in to watch some TV, the space between us growing less and less as the night wore on. When it was finally time to go to bed, we said a quick goodnight and then I settled in for a few hours of rest.

Charlie's phone call when I arrived at the office on Wednesday was pretty surprising, as I'm able to count on both hands the number of times he's called to actually speak to me. "Charlie, what can I do for you?"

"Is Bella there with you?"

I thought about my response to this very carefully as I wasn't sure exactly what he knew. "She's in New York, but she's probably at my apartment right now, I'm already at work."  
I could hear him posture around, like he was pacing. "Oh, right. Well, did she seem okay when she flew in? I know you two are really close, and she hasn't come out to visit me in a while and she doesn't call like she used to. I'm worried about her, Edward."

For Chief Swan to admit his feelings was huge, so I knew this was more than a little concern. "She mentioned having a lot going on recently, told me that when she gets home that she had to make a trip out to see you. Whatever it is that's been going on, she's been a lot happier the past few days so I wouldn't worry too much, she seems to be past it now."

"Thanks Edward, I know how much you care about her, you're a good friend to my Bells. I'll try calling her."

"No problem Charlie, have a nice day."

As soon as I hung up it got me to thinking about it and Bella had done the same thing to me, and I still didn't know why. I mean I knew she was going through the divorce, but why didn't she turn to me? I had to find out when I got home.

I was busy working most of the day, so when I got the call from Bella I was expecting her to say she was picking up groceries and wanted to know what time I would be home. Her reason for calling was not what I had anticipated. "Hey Edward, I hope you don't mind, but I was able to get a single seat to see Wicked. I should be home around 11ish."

"Okay, I'll see you later then." Really, what could I say?

Going home, I picked up a few beef patties and wrapped most of them, reheating one to eat with a salad. Most people would laugh at the combination, but I needed something more substantial. I continued working on the edit, hoping that I could get it done and have a little downtime before moving on to my new author's story.

The time seemed to drag, but finally I heard the keys jingle outside the door. Bella has had keys to my place since her first visit after I moved into this apartment, because she always came and went as she pleased, but tonight it bothered me not to come home to her.

"You're still up?" She asked, a little surprised that I was still sitting fully dressed from work on the couch as I had for the last several hours.

"I wanted to make sure you got home okay."

She sighed and sat next to me on the couch. I sat down my laptop as she rested her head on my bicep. "You can't lie for shit, Edward."

I blew out a deep breath and then started in on the conversation. "Why didn't you call me when you were going through the divorce? I would have done anything for you, including beating the shit out of Jake, but you just cut off communication, and not just with me. Charlie said-"

"You talked to Charlie?" She sat up and turned her paled face towards me.

"He called this morning asking if you were okay. I told him that you were planning to visit him when you got back to Seattle, and that things had been hectic but it was finally dying down. He's worried and so am I."

"Edward, I didn't need you to see how big of a failure I am. I was miserable. I didn't eat; hygiene wasn't high on my list of priorities. There were days I never even got out of bed. I didn't need you to see me like that. I couldn't let anyone see what Jake's betrayal took from me. I still can't believe you know as much as you do. I couldn't come to you broken and expect you to put me back together; I had to fix myself. That was why I stayed away so long. And I'm sorry if my doing that hurt you but-"

I pulled her into my side before she started crying again. "I'm fine. I was only ever worried about you and why you didn't feel you could come to me. From now on, if something happens, I want you to come to me. Okay?"

She sighed and I knew, rather than saw her eye roll as she nodded. We both stood to go to bed and as I changed and climbed under the blankets, I felt a slight pang of regret. Holding Bella, even for a few moments of comfort, just felt so right, but that wasn't us. We were close, but not like that. However, in the darkness of my room, I was starting to question it.

Thursday Bella had a few meetings with people about her new job at the gallery and trying to find an artist space as well as an apartment. She wanted to hit the ground running when she got back in town, so she told the realtor what she wanted for both spaces. Bella had asked her to focus on her studio before her apartment, as my apartment was an easier solution than trying to paint in a one-bedroom apartment with no extra room. I was finishing my edit, so Bella brought dinner to me in my office and that was when I introduced her to Rosalie and explained that she was one of the people who were going out with us tomorrow to the club.

They hit it off and Bella was in her office for about a half hour before coming back to watch movies on her portable DVD player. When I had gotten through the last page, I sent it off to the author before she would allow it to go into the fine edit with one of the people down the hall. Tapping Bella on the shoulder, she took off her headphones and we packed up before heading home for the night.

Friday turned into a clusterfuck of chaos. One of our authors thoroughly lost it over a bumped up deadline, leaving me with an impossible task ahead of me. After calling Bella, who confirmed for me that her flight out leaving on Saturday morning, instead of Sunday, I told her that I'd meet her at the club, as I needed to handle this dinner meeting and keep my author on track for the final edit, which was now due in six weeks.

Bella said it was fine, and I gave her the address, excited to see her really cut loose. After suffering through dinner and the endless meeting over drinks, I looked to see that it was almost 10pm.

Agreeing that we would begin the edit next week, I left the restaurant, running back to my car and driving home. I wasn't surprised that Bella was already out, so I changed into jeans, leaving on the button-down shirt, the sleeves now rolled up to my elbows.

Jumping on the subway, knowing full well that I wasn't going to be in a condition to drive at the end of the night, I walked the two blocks from the stop closest to the club and went in the front door.

I was scanning the club, trying to find her; and when I did, my blood boiled. There was Bella, in short shorts and a purple, shimmery top, with some random tool glued to her ass. As the song ended, I marched over and took her hand, causing her to look up and step away from the jerk she had been dancing with. He tried to glare at me, but as I pulled her closer, nuzzling my nose in her hair, I won the standoff and he went trolling for some other girl.

"You want to get a drink?" Bella's question pulled me from my thoughts and I nodded, meeting up with the friends we were supposed to be hanging out with at the bar. We all joked and talked as we pounded shot after shot, drinking away our bullshit.

It was around this point that Rosalie, one of my fellow editors, leaned in and teased me about liking Bella, but I insisted that we were merely friends. As if on cue, her husband Emmett turned and nudged me, "Your girlfriend's cute."

I rolled my eyes at him and said for the fiftieth time since she arrived here at the beginning of the week, "She's my best friend, but there's nothing going on. She just went through a messy divorce."

Just then, a song came on that had Bella squealing, dragging me onto the floor to dance with her. I was a little awkward at first, the alcohol and the knowledge that all the people behind me thought there was more between us than there actually was, kept me a little stiff. It didn't last long as Bella moved against me and I lost myself to the sensations and the alcohol.

Bella and I grinded against each other, ignoring the world and the rest of the club as her leg brushed my cock and my thigh rubbed attentively against her. It was heaven and in that moment, I was done with the endless cycle of thoughts, the agonizing over reactions and leaned down to kiss Bella on the cheek. However, she had other plans. In the last second, she turned into the kiss and my own drunken stupor gave her the opportunity she had been hoping for. Her tongue sought out mine and I pulled her closer, removing the space left between us. We barely danced as we more or less mauled each other until the song ended and the spell was broken. When we parted, I looked down at Bella a little sheepishly as she tilted my face so I was looking at her. "Did you mean to kiss me like that, or was it a 'lost in the moment' type thing?"

I wrapped my arm back around her and smirked at her question. "I would never kiss you unless I meant it exactly how it happened."

Her eyes twinkled a little as she tipped up on her toes. "If you do, baby, kiss me again."

With no more invitation, I kissed her with twelve years' worth of love that I was just starting to realize may not have been as platonic as I believed. We had never crossed any line, but there was always a part of my heart that belonged to this girl, and the rest of it was not easy to give away it too could belong to this brown-eyed angel.

As the kiss ended, I was dragging Bella to the door without a good-bye as I hailed a cab and pulled us in.

The driver wasn't too happy to have us groping like teens in his back seat, but a $50 bill soothed his worry about the possibility of a conception happening in his back seat. When he screeched to a stop outside my building, said $50 was handed over as we fumbled our way out of the car and into my building. After an elevator ride that will be the talk of the security guards tomorrow, we arrived to our floor and I attempted to get the door open and get us inside so we could talk before this went any further.

Once again, I was foiled by a minx in short shorts as her hand found my crotch and her lips were at my ear. "Fuck me, Edward."

I pulled back sharply and looked at her, shocked by what she said. The look on her face as she nearly crumpled in on herself at the assumed rejection guided my next move. I pulled her to me and lifted her off the ground, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carried her to the bedroom.

Nearly dropping her on the bed, she shimmied out of her shorts and underwear and then took off her top, her bra flying off a second later. I was out of my clothing just as quickly and buried inside her, groaning at how good it felt.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was thinking about how I should be going slow and being loving with Bella, but her nails were digging into my back and I was overcome with my need to please her, and I knew how best to make that happen. Pulling out of her nearly all the way, I pumped into her, desperately trying to hold my drunk ass above her as I felt my orgasm building.

Bella's movements below me became more erratic and finally she let out a keening sound as she tightened around me, her nails clawing at my skin as I exploded, my short staccato strokes punctuating the end of the best 'fuck' of my life.

As Bella and I lay there, both inebriated and exhausted, we started to drift off, the comment she made as I succumb to sleep was lost to me.

It wasn't until some point in the early morning when my head popped off the pillow that my mind made sense of her last words from the night before. "That was amazing, totally made up for the fact that it's been a year…"

A year. Jake hadn't been with her in a year, and that was the first time for the two of us. A drunken, impulsive fuck. Bella was worth more. Disgusted with myself, and what I'd allowed my dick to convince me of the night before, I got dressed and ran from my apartment to make sense of it all.

Going to the nearest Starbucks, I settled into one of the oversized armchairs and sipped my latte as I tried to reconcile myself to what we'd done. Before I knew it, my alarm on my phone was going off and I looked down to see what it said, "Bella's flight."

Shit! I got up and ran back to the apartment. Opening the door, I saw that her suitcases were gone, but not wanting to believe it, I ran to the bedroom and threw open the door to see the empty bed and the note on her pillow.

_Edward,_  
_I had to call a cab or I would have missed my flight. I'm sorry if last night was a mistake for you, but I can't bring myself to regret it. I'll see you in a week, unless you don't want me to stay with you anymore. It's up to you._  
_Bella_

She was gone. And for the second time this year, she left feeling unloved. What in the hell was wrong with me.

~%~%~%~%~

The next two days were spent digging in to the new book; I had to keep myself busy or I'd go crazy. Bella hadn't called me, but I didn't really expect her to. I wasn't even sure she'd come back to New York, but I hoped she would.

Sunday morning, I was sitting on my living room floor when there was a knock at my door. Not sure who it was, I looked through the peephole and was astonished by what I found. I unlocked and opened the door, motioning for my visitor to enter.

"Chief Swan?"

"Hello Edward." I sat down with the Chief in my living room, still completely confused by what he was doing here. "Son, I know you don't want a lecture, but will you let me say a few things?"

I nodded, my curiosity winning out.

"Bella came to see me as soon as she landed in Seattle. She told me about Jake and it took all my restraint to not hunt him down for what he did to my girl, but she told me a few other things…Edward what exactly is going on between you and my daughter?"

Fuck…

"Charlie…a part of me has always loved your daughter, and until recently, it was completely platonic. But when she came here last week and told me about Jake and I got to see what he'd done, I became protective. Like, crazy protective. Well, not crazy…I never wanted her to hurt like that again and when she told me she was moving here I was thrilled, because she'd be back in my life and I'd know she was okay for myself. But as the week wore on, something shifted. I'm not sure what really, but I'd come home and she was in my kitchen, we'd watch TV and talk about our day and it felt right. More right than anything ever has. And I screwed it up."

"No you didn't." He was a little softer in his tone than I had expected, but firm, letting me know that he was right about this. "She's confused, but one of the things she told me was that she pushed you too much. She knew getting off that plane how she felt, and she hoped that you'd realize it too. I don't know what happened and I don't ever want to know, but she blames herself for how it ended. If you care about her, let her know that. If you have to slow down, then do it…but don't let her leaving here be the end of it. I didn't go after her mother, and I lost them both, though eventually I got my daughter back. Don't make my mistake."

Charlie got up and I was severely confused. "Chief, where are you staying? Do you want something to eat, or-"

"I'm here with Sue, we made this a spur of the moment weekend trip and it took me nearly a day to knock on your door. Now I have until tomorrow night to enjoy with my wife and I plan on doing just that. I'm sure we'll be speaking again, just don't make me do to you what my girls won't let me do to Jake."

I choked out a laugh and shook his hand. "Have a good trip Charlie, and thank you."

I walked Charlie to the door and then dove on my phone. I was dialing her number before I even had a chance to think. It rang two times before I heard my saving grace. "Hello Edward."

"Bella, please don't hang up. I'm sorry I freaked out on you, but I got scared. I remembered what you said about how you hadn't been with Jake in a year right before you went to sleep, and I thought about how I should have worshipped you and you deserved better than a drunken fuck a few hours before your flight home. But the truth is that having you in my house last week was the best I felt since we lived together in Seattle in college. I've spent my entire adult life rejecting women because they weren't you, whether I knew it at the time or not and I can't let you go now that I may actually have a chance to love you."

There was silence on the other end for a long moment before I heard some movement. "Did you say love?"

"Yes." I wasn't about to deny it now, because it was the truth.

"I love you, too."

"When are you coming back to me?"

"I should be home by the end of the week." Home. She called my place, _me_, home.

"Call me with your flight info when you know it for sure."

"I will. Bye Edward."

"Bye Love."

Had it really been that easy? I thought a lot more groveling would have been needed, but then I remembered something she had said earlier in the week, that she had figured out a lot of things during the divorce. Was I one of those things? Had she really come here knowing that she felt this way and simply wanted me to figure it out in my own time? The thought of that made me love her even more.

Monday saw a long day of meetings, which meant that my weekend of editing had come in handy. I'd managed to clear my schedule to give me a long weekend, Monday was a holiday, so I talked it over with Jessica and she said that as long as I hit my page target for the week, I could have Friday as well.

So Tuesday and Wednesday I was glued to my laptop, because it made it easier to take it home if I stayed on one computer, instead of freaking out every time I put down my flash drive. Plus it meant I could move around my office.

When Rosalie came in on Wednesday night to check on me, as she had every other night this week when she left at eight o'clock, leaving me as the last one on our floor, I was sprawled out on the floor. "When's the girl, who's just a friend, coming back to town?"

"Friday. And there's been a development there." I arched my eyebrow at her and she cackled.

"I would say you growing a pair would be a development. I'm glad, it's nice to see you not looking miserable for a change, she's your Nemo."

I sat up, looked at my thoroughly cynical coworker and laughed. "Did you just go Disney on me?"

"Fuck off; Carol loves that damn movie…I think that fish is permanently burned into my TV screen. Anyway, you found what you've been searching for, now just behave. Or don't behave, but act badly together, not to each other. She seems like a sweet girl, I'd hate to have to send Emmett after you."

"You're threatening me with your husband over a girl you met once?" Sometimes I just didn't get her.

"If she works her voodoo and keeps you happy, then I'm all for you making a bunch of ridiculously gorgeous, impossibly thick-skulled babies with her. She gets you and I've never seen you that protective over any girl you dated. Anyway, I'm out, I have to tuck in the munchkin and have dessert with my husband as I missed dinner. Night."

"Goodnight Rose."

I didn't stay much longer after Rose left, knowing I had tomorrow to finish those last pages, which would be rough with my two morning meetings, but I could swing it if I stayed late. And it would be worth it for a full four days with Bella.

I got up that morning and was a little wired; Bella had called and told me her flight got in at 9:30 tomorrow morning, so I really had to push through. The first meeting had been productive, rearranging some upcoming projects and tweaking release dates, which luckily meant that Jessica was approving both mine and Rosalie's vacation requests for next month. I was excited because

it was the first real vacation I'd taken in over a year and a half and the two weeks would allow me to recharge my batteries and then start fresh, plus it'd be more time to spend with Bella without the long hours getting in the way.

The second meeting, with my trouble author went over better than I expected as the progress I made gave her longer to go over those edits before it went on to the next set of hands. With my end in sight, I ordered lunch in and dug into the next chapter of the book.

It was a long afternoon and evening and I had met my goal but wanted to finish the last few pages of the chapter so I could start fresh on Tuesday when Rosalie's daily knock came. Only it wasn't Rosalie.

"Bella?" Her flight wasn't supposed to come in until tomorrow morning, so I couldn't reconcile the sight of her before me.

"Are you always the last one to leave your office?" She asked as she locked the door, my blinds thankfully already drawn.

"Yes and I had to finish my weekly deadline by tonight if I was going to be off tomorrow." I spoke in a shaky voice and she smiled, dropping her coat on the arm of my couch and then reaching for the zipper on her knee –length, navy blue dress.

"And did you finish it?"

"I did." Her smirk grew mischievous as she peeled off the dress to reveal a bright blue corset with black ribbon and lace embellishments. My cock sprang to life at the sight of her as I stood up from my chair.

Bella strutted over to me and grabbed my tie, turning and pulling me over to the overstuffed chair in my office's seating area and stopping short. Her fingers made quick work of my tie and then moved on to the buttons of my shirt, letting that fall to the floor as well. I kicked off my shoes and ripped off my socks before Bella's hands found my belt. "No running this time."

I nodded my acknowledgement of the stupidity that caused me to almost lose her and she unfastened my belt and fly, my pants dropping, soon to be followed by my boxers. I stepped out of them both and Bella playfully pushed me back into the seat cushions. Her fingers found the ribbon of the sides of her thong and pulled it down, leaving her in nothing but that corset.

Her hands pushed my shoulders back into the seat and then she pulled my legs out from under me slightly before crawling up my body. "I love you, Bella. I needed to say it to your face before we start this…us…"

Bella smiled again and leaned down so her lips were at my ear. "Edward, we've always been an _us_, now we're just doing it the way it was always meant to be. Now stop talking while I'm straddling your naked body and just relax and let me fuck you."

I knew my eyes bugged out a little as I kissed her and felt her heat slide down my length, encasing me within her. Bella's hands gripped my shoulders as she rode me, alternating between slamming down and rolling forward, her muscles clenching me tightly and bringing me to an intense level of arousal as she mastered my body.

Our moans echoed in the empty office as Bella leaned back, arching her body as I held her hips in support. Loving how in control she was being, but needing to feel a little of that control myself, I stood up and spun around, lowering Bella into the seat and hooking her legs over the arms. I leaned in to suckle on her right breast, which had escaped the confines of her corset and taunted me as it bounced just out of my reach. Taking full advantage of the new position, I pounded into Bella, her body arching into me as she neared her orgasm. My own completion came suddenly as my erratic pace sent Bella falling over the edge, my name ringing clearly as a bell from her mouth.

Bella's legs wrapped around me; and I lifted her again, sitting myself in the chair, and letting her rest against my chest as we both enjoyed the post-coital bliss. The silence was broken a minute later as Bella's hand played with the hair on my chest and she spoke in little more than a whisper.

"Will you tell me if something stops working, or if your feelings ever change? You'll give me a chance to work with you to fix the problem, not let it fester until there's no going back, right?"

My arms wrapped around her tightly as I kissed her hair. "I can't imagine things with us ever getting that bad, but I promise that if I feel something change, I'll come to you. There isn't anything we can't figure out as long as we're honest."

"I love you, Edward." She spoke into my chest as she nestled further into my arms.

"I love you too, Bella, I always have."


	16. Only Fooling Myself

**Please Note This Entry is Not Eligible to Win but Please Leave Some Love for the Author : )  
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**Author: pnutjenny**

**Rating: M**

**Song: "Only Fooling Myself" by Kate Voegele**

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Breathless. Speechless. How can one boy leave me in such a state? How can he have me wanting to touch every inch of his body but we have never once talked?

His name is Edward Cullen and he is beautiful. He isn't just sexy, he is literally beautiful. He has beautiful golden hair that is full of volume. Sometimes he'll pull on it as if he's frustrated; other times as if he's intrigued by something. I feel bad in those moments because I'll start imagining myself beneath him, tugging and pulling at his hair as he pleasures me.

Edward has two parents; Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle is a commended doctor here in Forks, Washington, and Esme is a fashion designer. He has one sister, Alice. From my many observations about Edward and anything Edward-related, his sister takes an interest in fashion like her mother. I have to wonder if maybe that's why Edward sometimes looks better than I do.

I'm Bella Swan and I refuse to believe that I'm that girl that everybody thinks is pathetic. I'm not the girl with the normal looks that whines about how she looks, but I'm definitely no Angelina Jolie. With long brown hair, brown eyes, a petite frame and stature(but with some curves)... I'm normal, I suppose you could say. If there was one thing I could change about myself, it would be to make myself more out-going. I'm so shy that I'll never have the nerve to talk to Edward. I know that even if I did, he would probably not even notice me the way that I want him to.

I have never been able to understand why Edward doesn't have a girlfriend. At one point I questioned whether he's gay. Someone once told me that he likes girls but went through a hard time a while ago with a girl and has stayed away from dating for a while now. I thought to myself, "Oh great. I'm pretty much shit out of luck anyway. Yay."

I'm walking through the hallways of Forks High School in my usual silence with my head cast toward the ground, thinking about all of this when I suddenly feel myself colliding with someone. I'm on the ground, my books are no longer in my arms but strewn about, and I'm trying to get up but my ass has a distinct pain going through it.

"I'm sorry, but are you all right?" I hear. I know that voice and I would know it anywhere. I have only heard it once but I never did forget it; It's Edward Cullen's voice and it, just like him, is beautiful. It's smooth, graceful, yet still very masculine.

My eyes stay focused downward and I realize that I haven't lifted myself off of the ground. I can sense that he's still standing and peering down at me. Did he fall or was he just that quick to get up?

"Y-y-yes," I stutter stupidly, trying to lift myself up, "I'm fine. Sorry for running into you." I'm now mumbling under my breath, making a fool of myself while trying to get up, and I just stuttered.

"No, it's fine," he says in a low tone, but it comes out almost as if he is letting out a breath. Edward's eyes are still focused on me as I remain on the ground and I can't figure out why. I feel all the more embarrassed.

"Might I ask why you were not looking where you were going?" he asks, squatting down to level with me and holding his hand out. I look at it as though it's a weird specimen because I can't believe he's... actually nice and holding out his hand.

I shake my head because I don't know how to answer his question and am having trouble forming words with him right here in front of me.

"I just... I'm quiet and don't like looking into anyone's eyes," I reply hesitantly. I realize that I just revealed a piece of myself that I haven't revealed to anyone but my mom; that I hate looking people in their eyes.

"Okay," he says quickly, suddenly looking everywhere but at me. I take a hold of his hand and lift myself off of the ground, then I lean over to pick up my books.

"Um, well, it was nice talking to you for the first time. Bye," he says. Again, it's rushed and he is off before I can even say something back to him. He was polite... kind of... but it seemed as though something switched in him suddenly and whatever I saw there at first was gone.

That was the first time I talked to Edward Cullen. Now that I realize that, my heart is beating erratically as I make my way to my next class and try to figure out whether it'll be the last time.

~2 Months Later~

He's been on my mind ever since the day that we ran into each other. It's been bothering me so, so much. I have seen him and I've even been keeping my head up, just in case he decides to look my way. I could have sworn that I felt something that day, but I was probably just imagining it.

I can't stop thinking about him at all. I thought that I liked him before. But no, this is beyond that. I imagine us doing so many different things; innocent things, sweet things, dirty things- you name it, I have probably thought about what it would be like.

I remember waking up one morning in a sweat from having a dream that involved him. I can't understand how it felt so very real, but I'm glad that it did.

"Mine," he whispers sharply into my ear, placing his hand on my waist as he stands from behind me.

"Yours," I whisper in reply, closing my eyes and leaning back into him.

His fingertip lightly makes its way across my ear and I swallow hard as my heart pounds from within, wondering what he'll do next. "Tell me, Bella, has anyone ever kissed you on your neck?"

I shake my head but I don't speak. Some part of myself deep within knows that this is all a dream, but I don't want to think about that. I just want to pretend that this is real; it feels real.

Edward's lips lightly kiss my neck, his tongue coming out to touch where he pressed his lips to. "Mmm..." is all that I can say as I close my eyes and lean further into him.

"Has anyone given you all that you want?" he whispers, nibbling on my ear. I'm speechless as so many feelings go through me... my heart pounding... arousal high... feelings in between my legs...

"No," I answer quietly.

"Don't speak; I'm going to pleasure you in ways you never knew imaginable," he says confidently. I can't see him because he is standing behind me, but I can feel him.

I feel the tips of two of his fingers ghost down my abdomen, finally landing on my hip bone. They inch their way down slowly and there is no sound in the room except the sound of my heart and my labored breathing. Surely he can't be having this much of an affect on me, can he?

They're slowly moving to a place where I want him to be; I don't know whether to tell him to stop. It already feels so very good and I'm responding to him how I think I'm supposed to respond; my body is responding how I think it's supposed to.

One more inch closer and he'll be right...

x-x-x

That, sadly, is where the dream ended. When I awoke it felt as though he was there with me; body heat enclosing me, a sweet but masculine scent enveloping my senses, a pulsing some place that I was trying to ignore, sweat breaking out onto my body, and most of all- the comfort that he brought me in the dream just by being there.

I'm in class right now and wondering why the hell we don't have any classes together. This is English. English has always been one of my favorite subjects. I love to read, I fully enjoy writing, and it's amazing the affect that words can have on people and their emotions.

"Mr. Cullen, please take a seat next to Ms. Swan," I hear in a distinctly loud voice. My eyes snap up and I look from Edward to Mr. Banner. Edward is standing there wearing a smirk and his eyes are fixated on me. Blush rises within my cheeks and the color only becomes brighter when he takes a seat beside me.

Would it be rude to ask Mr. Banner why the hell Edward is sitting next to me? It probably would be rude, right? My heart is pounding. I can feel Edward giving me occasional glances and it causes me to fidget in my seat.

I dream days away, but that's okay; I can handle this and remain calm. I would have to be a fool to think for one minute that he would date me when he doesn't even date in general. That makes me wonder- I wonder if he's the kind of guy that prefers friends with benefits to get a good fuck every now and then. Now that's a thought to ponder.

Mr. Banner claps his hands, his voice reverberating throughout the classroom as he loudly says, "Class, eyes to the front!" As soon as he says this, Edward glances at me again. I swear that it almost feels as though he's trying to study me at some points.

"For these coming two weeks, we're going to be doing something different that doesn't exactly follow the norm; we're going to be working on creative writing. The assignments this week will be done with a partner.

"Many believe that writing is entirely about the mechanics," he smiles, "but it's not. I'll be passing out your assignments and it is your job to talk with your partner and come up with a plan."

I'm staring ahead, my mouth hanging slightly agape. Quite clearly there is no way to get out of this. I'm so nervous about working with Edward, let alone to be working on creative writing. What if he hates what I write? What if he thinks I suck? (I don't mean it like that- but hey, hopefully he wonders about that too!)

I take a look at a folder that has just been placed in front of me. My eyebrows furrow as I look over this. Apparently there is an assignment for every night of the week for the next two weeks. Some assignments take two days, some only take one.

Day 1: Support or refute the following statement, stating reasons for your response:

Many believe that writing is entirely about the mechanics, but it's not.

Compare your response to your partner's. If you two differ in opinion, compare and contrast them on a separate sheet of paper and debate.

Day 2(2-day Assignment): Write a descriptive essay with a minimum of 500 words. It can be a subject of your choice. Collaborate with your partner, combine the two essays, and make them come together to form one.

Day 4(2-day Assignment): Collaborate with your partner to write a romance scene; it must be a minimum of 1,000 words but can be more.

x-x-x

Oh my mother fucking rubbish. Mr. Banner can't be serious, can he? Is it even legal for them to tell us to write a romance scene together? Well, it's not like they are instructing us to fuck on a school desk... not that I'd be against it, but still...

"Phone number," I hear someone say in a very smooth tone; I know that tone and would know it anywhere. It is Edward.

I turn my head to the right to face him and inhale sharply. His beautiful green eyes are boring directly into mine but I can't seem to move them, despite the fact that I need to. It seems as though everything around me becomes a blur, my thoughts stop, but every sense is heightened. Why are my eyes not moving? I can't move them. I only stop when he breaks the heated gaze and clears his throat.

"Um, what did you want?" I ask, shaking my head as I try to figure out what just happened. I can never look anyone in their eyes, so why his?

Edward chuckles, a smirk appearing on his face. "We need to work on these assignments... which I'm assuming means we need to be in contact with each other for the next two weeks, starting tonight." I blush because he is smirking and I feel stupid.

"Right," I start, nodding my head, "let's start with my number."

"What about email? GChat?"

I snap my fingers in front of his face in agreement, nodding my head. "Good idea! I can't stand to talk on the phone anyway." Edward's eyes darken and he looks down.

Why is he reacting this way? Did I say something? I shake my head a little, trying to stop worrying and just move on. I write my number down on paper and tear the section off, sliding it over to his side.

He might be Edward Cullen and I might want him incredibly bad, but the boy is going to be calling me first! Not to mention that he's in a brooding mood for some reason I can't comprehend.

Tonight shall be interesting.

X-X-X

My phone rings at 6:15 P.M. and my heart flutters. I shouldn't be reacting so strongly, but I can't help it. It's Edward.

"Hello?" I hear when I answer.

I swallow hard, taking a seat at my desk. "This is Bella..."

"Hey. Um, I was hoping we could get on GChat. It's okay if you don't want to. I'll understand. Anyway..."

I laugh and stop him, saying, "Edward, it's okay. GChat is good. I don't like the phone, remember?" It's strange because he seems so much more awkward on the phone than he does in person.

He gives me his email address, sends through a chat request, and soon a chat box is open in GMail. I'm trying to play it cool but am actually freaking out because I'm talking to him.

Bella: Okay, the assignment says the following(yes, I'm going to actually put what it says entirely):

Support or refute the following statement, stating reasons for your response:

Many believe that writing is entirely about the mechanics, but it's not.

Compare your response to your partner's. If you two differ in opinion, compare and contrast them on a separate sheet of paper and debate.

I agree. You can take someone that writes up business forms but does that mean they'll be able to tell a story and hold your interest? No. The mechanics of English mean nothing if you cannot tell a story.

Edward: I disagree. As you said, it's important to be able to tell a story. On the other hand, do you think I want to be reading through some shit and they don't even know how to spell? Nope.

Bella: Um... you might want to re-think your response. I don't think he'll be pleased if you write down "or some shit." I'm just saying.

Edward: ::laughs:: True. I'll edit my answer once we're done here, okay? Let's look at what it's really asking us here: which is more important; being able to tell a story or having the mechanics of English be almost flawless in your work?

Bella: My answer will be ::taps chin:: Ah, I got it! It is as follows:

Although the mechanics of English play an influential role as to how someone perceives a person's piece of writing material, when it comes to creative writing, the name suggests what is needed- creativity. Edits can be done later and the story is non-existent without creativity.

Edward: Well that was a... good answer. My answer is: The mechanics of English as well as creativity rely on one another in order to create a well-developed and interesting story. However, if I had to choose which is more important, I would say that being a good storyteller is more important. The mechanics are technical- anyone can fix the technical. But only one person has the creativity that you do and only one person holds the ideas that you do; YOU.

Bella: Hey... you didn't use the word "shit." I'm shocked! LOL. I kid, I kid. I think that's it for tonight.

Edward: ::smirks:: No, that's not it for tonight. Your answer makes it sound like you write. Those answers don't just come from everyone- they come from writers.

Bella: Oh my fucking fuck. You're even smirking in GChat? Seriously? ::laughs:: The same could be said for you as well with your answers. And yes, I do write. That's why I'm so excited that we're doing creative writing.

Edward: I write, too. It's like an escape for me. I think a lot of writers use it as their own little escape, you know? Now we're done for tonight.

Bella: Well, aren't we trying to be Mr. Mysterious? Fine. Enjoy your evening. ::rolls eyes::

Edward: We're partners for two weeks... there's time. And thanks, I will enjoy my evening. Enjoy yours too.

Edward Cullen is offline. Messages you send will be delivered when Edward Cullen comes online.

That was surprising and interesting. He seems intelligent and definitely doesn't seem to be a total asshole at all. There's something mysterious about him and I can tell that he's not revealing himself much right now.

Oh God. Should I be excited or nervous? I'm excited and can barely stand to be nervous. I'm excited and nervous.

I think about all of this as I get ready for bed- brushing my teeth, washing my face, taking a shower, slipping into my pajamas, and finally taking to my bed to dream.

X-X-X

School pasts fairly quickly until I get to English class. All throughout the class he's shooting me glances. I find myself fidgeting again, but I really can't help it.

It isn't until the end of class that I get up the nerve to catch him when he's glancing my way and hold his gaze. My heart is pounding, my breath caught, and I'm wondering why I can look into his eyes so effortlessly.

It's the end of the school day when I realize that I have to work with Edward again. I'm going to have to get used to that idea. I'm just as excited before, if not more excited. Butterflies are just storming through my stomach at a rapid speed.

Edward: I would like to take you somewhere. I think it'll be the perfect place to use as the subject of our descriptive essay.

My heart flutters more when I read that he wants to take me somewhere. It flutters all the more when I read the word "our." I like the sound of that. "OUR." It has a ring to it.

Bella: I, um... sure. That will be cool. We can see what happens there.

Shit. Did I just say that? We can see what happens? Oh my fuck.

Edward: Uh, sure. I'll pick you up at your place. It isn't too far from there. I don't even know if anyone else knows about it, but I still think you'll like it.

x-x-x

We say goodbye and soon his Volvo is pulling up to my house. My eyes glance from his shiny Volvo to my red '53 Chevy truck. I don't know whether to be embarrassed or ask where this kid gets his money. Holy mother of hawt cars.

I go to walk over to the passenger side of his car but he's there before I am and is opening the door for me. My heart flutters by such a simple gesture but, like every other reaction he causes, I just can't help it.

"Thank you," I say quietly as I get into the car, blushing.

He chuckles, getting back into the driver's side. "You're welcome. I would tell you where we're going, but I want it to be a surprise." He's now entirely serious as his eyes softly glare into mine. I can feel the tension in the air; the silence is saying so many things that I can't hear because I'm in denial. My feelings are like the background noise that a TV makes but that you constantly ignore.

The drive is silent but my heart isn't as we exchange glances throughout the entire drive. They're so intense... such passion-filled glances... I think it almost throws me over the edge.

He parks the car when we finally arrive. We're walking a good five minutes before I gasp at the sight. There is moss everywhere- on the ground and going up the trees- there are many trees towering over us and when I look up I can't even see the sky. It almost looks as though it could drizzle at any moment because there is some mist floating through the air that looks almost like fog.

I inhale and my nose is struck by a smell that's so soft but so very powerful; it's sweet and smells like a combination of honey and the scent of flowers mixed into one.

Edward is right by me and I'm asking myself whether any of this is really happening. "Will it work?" he asks, smiling down at me.

"Will it work? SERIOUSLY? Open your eyes!" I laugh and playfully hit his arm. For a moment we stop all movement, our eyes fixated on one another. We finally snap out of it but I know for a fact that it happened and he felt it. We're both feeling it. If he isn't feeling it, then I'm going to say that he's in denial.

We finish our assignment after about thirty minutes. We're on the ground, just laying here and acting as though we don't have a care in the world.

Edward turns onto his side to face me, his eyebrows furrowing as he looks to be studying me. "Have you thought about how we're going to do the assignment the day after tomorrow? The assignment we did today is supposed to take up to two days, so we're covered for tomorrow. But have you thought about the assignment after that?" he asks.

I stare up at the trees, trying to remember the assignment that he's talking about. My cheeks flush red and my eyes narrow as I realize that we're supposed to write a romance scene together.

"Nope," I start quietly, swallowing hard, "I have no idea how to go about that..."

I hear him take a deep breath but can't stand to look directly at him right now. I can tell that he's looking at me but I just don't have the nerve to look at him right now. I think my face would give me away.

He shrugs his shoulders, running his fingers through his hair. "We're supposed to be writing a scene and it's a collaboration. I think it's going to be a little hard to do that so I was thinking that it'd probably be best to act it out."

I'm speechless because I don't even know what to say to that. I know that he's probably right, but... us?... acting out a romance scene?... TOGETHER?

"Okay," I say before I can stop myself.

All goes silent and we have an agreement- we're going to act out a romance scene tomorrow.

X-X-X

"Okay," I sigh, "I have some of this already written."

We're in his room. Let me make this clearer: we are in his room. HIS ROOM. Why did I agree to this? My mother always told me to not go into a boy's room because they'll want more than just a friendly chat... but, well... I want to be in his fucking bedroom!

Edward's eyebrows come together and he looks perplexed for a second before his lips curl up at the corners. "You have some of it written? But I have none of it written. I was thinking we were going to play it out so that it would be realistic; you know, think it up as we go? All right. Well, we'll start with what you have and what I say or do can be added in, I guess."

I'm shifting on my feet because I'm suddenly very nervous. What if my work is considered too... too... erotic?

I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and then open them to see Edward standing in front of me.

"U-u-um," I stutter, putting my eyes on anything but him, "take a seat at your desk in the corner."

There's a certain hint of amusement in his eyes but I don't know why. Without saying a word, he makes his way over to his desk while I try to calm myself down.

"Grab some paperwork or something. Start going through it as though you're focused. Oh... are those glasses on your desk?" I ask, my eyes lighting up when I see them. Have I mentioned that I have this thing for a guy in glasses? I swear it drives me fucking mad.

"Yeah," he chuckles somewhat nervously, "these are glasses. I wear them sometimes."

I move closer to his desk, my fingertips trailing across the edge and then slowly up his arm. "Put them on," I say quietly, my eyes fixated on his. He puts them on and I almost come undone. He looks up at me with his big green eyes and this knowing smile, then takes his eyes off of me.

I take a deep breath, keeping my eyes trained on him. "Sometimes what we want most in life we can't have," I start, sitting on his desk.

Edward's hand lands on mine and he circles his finger over my knuckles. I cross one of my legs over the other, trying to remain composed. "But sometimes we can get exactly what we want if we work for it," he says in a dark tone. "Don't you agree, Isabella?"

"What did you just call me?" I ask, my eyebrows furrowing as so many feelings course through me; lust, want, hope, and pure need.

He blows out a breath, looking up to meet my eyes. "Isabella," he whispers.

"Belle ami," Edward says quietly, his voice barely audible and low. His eyes are staring straight into mine as he moves his face all the closer. Is he going to kiss me? Does my breath smell? Surely he isn't about to kiss me. So near, so close; c'mon!

He runs his finger along my lower lip slowly, back and forth. "Chivalry isn't dead, it's just beginning. As these words linger in the air and envelop your soul, say you'll be mine."

My eyes narrow as my heart pounds. Is this real or is this all play? Please let it be real. PLEASE.

Edward brings his face a little bit closer, his lips nearly touching mine but not quite. "Oui," I reply softly, my eyes trained on his as he brings his hand to my neck. And that's it; our lips meet, there is no holding back what-so-ever, and I realize in this moment that he wants me just as much as I want him.

He's nipping and tugging on my lips with his teeth; sucking on it a little here and a little there. Soon tongues are mingling with one another as I try to catch my breath and slowly pull away. So many feelings are going through me... so many feelings going on down there, too.

My eyes are quickly scanning the room and looking everywhere but at him. I'm nervous. "What was that?" I ask quietly, still unable to look him in the eyes.

He runs his hands through his hair and I can feel his eyes on me; they're studying me again. "I think that was a really rather strange way for me to ask you out..."

My eyes snap up to meet his and I smile. "Um... well... let's try that again, yes?"

I can see him take a deep breath and the smirk that I have seen him wear so many times is nowhere in sight now. Without a doubt I can tell that he's nervous. "Would you like to go out with me? Maybe to dinner?"

I'm nodding my head over and over and it's in this moment that I come to realize something; all the we want or hope for comes when we least expect it. It also seems that behind some beautiful faces there is an even more beautiful soul.

Edward turned out to be my beautiful soul. I guess I wasn't just fooling myself. His words enveloped my soul and continue to. Without him I am incomplete, and with him I am all that I can be.


	17. Our Song

**Another last minute entry to the contest. Please note this entry is not eligible to win and therefore will not be on the poll, but please leave some love for the author anyway.**

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**Author: _Freebird1790_**

**_Title: Times Infinity  
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_**Song: "Our Song" by the Spill Canvas**  
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It's a burn that never goes away, a cut that never heals and a break that is never really put back together.

The butter knife is dull but it still cuts through.

Breakups weren't supposed to be this way. The aftermath of the end should be filled with going out, meeting new people and talking to your friends about how much you hated that person…right?

I couldn't do any of that because the truth was, I loved Jasper so much even after he said goodbye to me. It probably didn't help that the day of the breakup, he kissed me saying he hoped that someday, we would find each other again.

"It is bad timing", he whispered. "This past year has been amazing Alice, but I don't think I am ready for us yet."

Three weeks before, if you would have told me I would have broken up with Jasper, I would have given you a look and walked away. Two weeks before, we were talking promise rings, moving in together and our future. All of these things we had talked about throughout the past year; including how we knew we would be together forever. But we know that's not how our story goes.

It had been his idea to get the promise rings. He said he wanted everyone to know that I was his and he was mine. He liked the idea of it and we agreed it would be our Christmas presents. I smiled at the idea and was ecstatic sitting at the jewelers getting our fingers measured.

I had picked his out with ease, I mean he was a guy, he didn't have too much criteria. He however, studied the rings with care and patience. When he had finally picked it out, I smiled at him; the ring was gorgeous. Three small diamonds surrounded by a silver band. It was perfect and so was he.

We went home that night and lying in each others arms he whispered lovingly into my ear, "Alice I love you."

I smiled, we had been saying that for months now, and still it drew a smile to my lips. "Forever."

His hand tangled into my hair, "Times infinity." He said, his voice so delicately soft.

"Plus two." I responded.

It was our tradition and honestly we couldn't have gotten much dorkier. But the look on his face when he said it melted my heart and no one mattered anymore. Jasper was the one and I was sure of it and watching him walk out of my house, killed me.

So here I was, three weeks later and sitting in my dark, unlit basement watching reruns of _Sex and the City_. It was November so it was kind of chilly and I was surrounded with a million or so blankets, trying to find some sort of comfort in my life.

We had to go to the jewelers two weeks ago to cancel our ring orders together. Of course I made sure that I looked decent when I saw him. My hair was done, and my makeup was flawless.

He had picked our meeting point as the front of the jewelers and when I got there, I found him leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, and his head slumped.

"Hey." I said as I approached him.

He lifted his head and I noticed that his circles under his eyes matched my own. I was glad.

"Alice. How are you?" He asked me slowly coming towards me. He stopped with a great deal of space in between us.

I shrugged, "I'm doing alright."

He nodded, this was awkward and all I wanted to do was to get this over with.

"You don't have to worry about saying anything, I will uh, take care of this." He said.

Jasper's eyes were wild. They would meet mine and then look away quickly. As if he didn't dare look at me.

I nodded and followed him in, grimacing at the all too friendly woman who approached us as we walked in.

I watched as her face slightly fell when Jasper explained why we were here.

Shaking my head for the millionth time that day trying to erase that memory, I picked up my phone. I hated thinking back to that day and I knew sitting here alone wouldn't help at all. So I called Rosalie, knowing she was the only person in my life that could move me from this spot.

"Rose, it's Alice, let's do something." I said into the phone not giving her time to even say hello.

She laughed, "Say no more, I am on my way."

I knew I had just enough time to get into the shower and get ready. Knowing Rosalie, we would be going out somewhere crazy and I had to practically make myself put something nice on.

Standing there in front of the mirror, I was looking at someone that I barely even recognized. She was broken, sad and her eyes were red and puffy. I sighed; I didn't want to be this girl anymore. I picked up my makeup brush, something that I hadn't done since before the breakup and applied my favorite shadow on my eye lids. With every stroke I started to feel myself molding back to who I wanted to be. But it wasn't really me anymore. Jasper had so much of me and I knew that, almost accepting it. Tonight was all about becoming the new Alice.

Not a minute after I had dressed, I heard a knock at the door. Grabbing my purse and getting another glimpse in the mirror, I sprinted to the front door, bursting out into the cold air.

I sent a text to my mom letting her know I was going to be out for the night knowing she wouldn't really care much, and followed Rose to her car.

When we reached the car, Rose unlocked her shiny red jeep and I got in, saying hi to Bella who was seated in the back.

"Well I am glad to know that you are still alive, I was getting worried!" Rose said pulling out of my driveway.

I groaned, "I know, I have been a shitty friend. But that is all over with, I swear. I want to have fun tonight!" I said feeling something close to excitement enter my stomach.

"We are going to get fucked up tonight, I hope you know." She said turning her heard towards me, raising her eyebrow.

No more 'good girl' Alice. I was not that girl who had been dating Jasper for the past year. I was Alice, the girl who didn't give a damn.

Pulling into the bar Rose had picked I stepped out running a hand through my newly cut short hair. I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and checked it, mostly out of habit for any messages. Before I could turn it off, Rosalie snatched it out of my hand.

"Believe me babe; you will not need that tonight. No Jasper talk and certainly no breakup talk."

I looked over at Bella and she shrugged, giving me a reassuring smile. Bella was that girl at school that every guy wanted to have. She was plain but gorgeous. She also happened to be taken by the guy who even made me swoon; Edward Cullen.

"Ok, let's go!" I said leading us to the man standing at the door checking our id's. I pulled mine out and grimaced as he grabbed my hand, marking a giant "X" across my hand.

When we go inside I looked around, my ears screaming at the adjustment to the noises I was hearing. The music was at a beat so intense I could feel it pulsating through my skin. Rosalie grabbed my hand and Bella disappeared. I looked over my shoulder noticing that Edward was standing at the bar with his friends.

She led me into the bathroom and set her purse down on the edge of the sink. "Ok, we are going to scrub this "X" off of your hand. If we want to have any fun tonight, we are going to need to get these off of us. "

Before I knew it, we were out of the bathroom and on the dance floor. Rosalie had her back turned to me and I was shocked at myself that I was dancing without any alcohol in me.

That didn't last long.

We met Bella and Edward at the bar and Rosalie ordered our first round of shots. I was shocked at how easily shots were handed to us. Hell, we were only a year away from being able to do this but still.

One shot turned into two and two shots turned into six. And before I knew it, I was slurring my words and basically dry humping a guy named Emmett on the dance floor.

I could feel his hands snake down from my hair straight to my ass. Jasper's face flashed before my eyes, but I shook my head, pressing myself deeper into Emmett trying to erase the image. I lifted my head so that my lips were inches away from his. I had to admit, he was pretty sexy, his blue eyes piercing mine.

He pulled me closer, if that were even possible and he leaned down, kissing me.

My head was spinning from the alcohol, or the kiss…I couldn't tell. The lips that moved against mine were different. They weren't soft and comforting. They were rough, expectant and wanting. It was nothing like Jasper.

Not knowing what I was doing, I let my hands roam his body, feeling his abs through his shirt. Jasper had been fit, but it wasn't to the point where his muscles were bulging through his shirt. I know that this was wrong but it felt so right and I continued for God knows how long touching, kissing and feeling. He felt so foreign, compared to what I was used to.

Finally he brought his lips to my ear and whispered, "Want to get out of here? I live with Edward we can just crash there."

This wasn't me; I would never in a million years go home with someone I had just met. But he knew Edward which meant he probably knew Bella. "Okay." I said, dragging the word out longer than it needed.

As we passed the bar, I saw a full shot on the side of the table and without thinking; I picked it up and downed it in seconds.

I remembered getting into a car, and I remembered getting out of a car but after that my mind went blank.

x.x.x

My head was throbbing and my mouth was dry. I felt like a truck had hit me dead on and as I started to open my eyes the light burned them. Shutting them quickly I groaned.

"What the fuck?" I asked out loud.

Not expecting a voice to answer me I jumped when I heard someone reply. "Well good morning beautiful."

My eyes sure as hell opened then. I looked around frantically, pulling the bed sheet closer around me, the images around me not making sense. The room was not mine, the walls here were too blue and the floor was covered in messes. And worst of all, I was naked.

I looked over at the person who was in the bed with me and my hand slapped my forehead. He was definitely not wearing anything.

"What happened last night?" I asked shoving a pillow over his very large dick, already not wanting to know the answer.

He told me that we had indeed had sex, and my heart sank at those words. I felt like I had betrayed Jasper and sitting here with my head spinning I realized I had probably the worst hangover ever; I couldn't help but start to cry.

"Hey now, it's going to be ok." Emmett said pulling me into him. It wasn't about getting any, but it was about him actually giving a damn about me. I let myself sink into him and just let go. What did I have to lose?

He let me cry in his arms for awhile and finally, I felt like I could stop. "I am so sorry." I said to him sitting up, sheets still wrapped tightly around me.

He wiped my eyes, "It's alright Alice, and you don't have to apologize about crying."

I smiled, if I wasn't sitting here feeling so fucking guilty about having sex with the guy, I might have actually had fun this morning.

After awhile of sitting there awkwardly, he left to take a shower. I decided that I should get out of there before things got even weirder. I searched the room frantically and to my dismay, I found everything except my shirt.

"Fuck!" I said out loud, all I wanted was to get out of there and try and forget this ever happened. What if Jasper found out about this? What would he think of me? I shook my head not wanting to feel the inevitable pain it would bring him.

I settled on a shirt from his dresser and slipped it on practically running from his room.

I entered what seemed like the kitchen and welcomed the scent of coffee. Noticing a cup on the counter, I took it filling it up and not hesitating to take a sip. I was about to write Emmett a note explaining I was leaving when I heard someone come up behind me.

"Alice?"

I turned around abruptly and my eyes met Bella's.

My hand went nervously to my hair wondering how horrible I must look. Bella was standing in front of a room whose door was shut.

"Bella, uh, I was just leaving." I said sitting down the coffee cup when I realized I hadn't driven here and all of my things were in Rose's car. "Damnit!" I said cursing at my drunken stupidity of not remembering to grab it leaving the bar last night.

Bella smiled, "Hey its ok. I was just getting ready to leave myself, want me to drive you home?" She asked slipping her purse across her body.

I nodded and followed her out of the house. We got to the car and she turned on the radio, drowning out the silence. I slipped my sunglasses to block the sun from giving me an even worse headache. Bella saw me do so and started searching her purse.

"Here, take these, they will help you feel better." She said handing me two small red pills. "They're just ibuprofen."

I took them swallowing them quickly. "Thanks." I muttered. "Bella, what the hell happened last night?"

She laughed, "Well, you and Emmett left the bar pretty early, probably around midnight. Rose and I stayed for a little while longer." She said, unable to finish her sentence when I cut her off.

"Wait, a second, so where the hell was Rosalie in all of this?" I asked suddenly nervous.

She laughed, "She went home with a guy she met last night, and I think his name was Jacob something."

I sighed, of course Rose had found someone last night.

Bella continued, "She texted me this morning asking me to let you know that she has all of your stuff and that she will drop it off later."

She continued to tell me that her and Edward had gotten home around four in the morning and had found Emmett and me still very drunk on the living room, wearing nothing but blankets.

"Oh Bella, I am _so_ sorry you had to see that!" I said extremely embarrassed.

She giggled, "No worries plus like I said you were pretty well covered up…Emmett on the other hand."

I smiled. "Thanks Bella. And hey, I know this is probably a lot to ask, but do you think we can keep last night between just you and I?"

She pulled into what I realized was my driveway and put the car into park. She reached out and put her hand atop of mine. "No problem."

She left and soon after Rose showed up at my door step. I had to admit, I was kind of pissed off at Rose. Yes I am 20 years old and should be able to handle myself, but still, I had just gotten out of a relationship with my serious boyfriend and my best friend let me go home with some guy I had just met.

After Rose had left to go back to hanging out with Jacob, I wasted no time searching my phone for any hint of Jasper.

No calls, but there were four texts, one from Rose and three from Maria, his sister, whom I still kept in touch with. I was about to delete it thinking I would just get rid of all of my connections, but I had a feeling I should read it…

_Alice, call me._

Weird, so I opened the next one from her.

_Alice, I'm not fucking around, its Jasper, call me back._

My stomach sank…what was going on? I found out in the next text.

_Jasper was in a car accident, he is in the hospital. I'm on my way there now, just call me as soon as you get this._

Jasper. In a car accident. In the Hospital.

I didn't hesitate as I got into my car and drove to the hospital. I tried calling Maria but she wasn't answering her phone.

Finally I sped into the hospitals parking lot and found the nearest spot possible and it felt like I hadn't even parked my car before I got out.

What had happened? My mind went wild with possibilities and I practically sprinted to the front desk.

"Uhm, I got a message that my boy-I mean friend is here, Jasper Whitlock?"

The nurse shuffled some papers around and then directed me to the fourth floor, the intensive care unit.

When I got to the intensive care unit and into the waiting room, I was greeted by Maria, who was pacing the floor.

"Oh my God, thank God you are here Alice. I am going crazy here!" She said coming up to me pulling me into an embrace. "I didn't know whether or not I could call you and if you would even come. I mean I know that you guys haven't talked much or have you? Oh my I am talking a mile a minute I'm sorry." She said putting her face into her hands and taking a deep breath.

"Maria, what happened?" I asked putting my hands on her shoulders trying to calm her down.

She looked up at me and I got my first glimpse at her. Her eyes were red and puffy and her nose was red and wet. "He was out late last night, some bar I don't know. He had something to drink and then he left around eleven thirty, and got into his car. My fucking dumbass brother got into his car and drove off drunk. We don't know all of the details but he somehow swerved and his car flipped a few times. Some guy saw the whole thing called the cops and then us. They have him in an induced coma because of all of the pain. He has one broken arm, with four broken fingers on that hand. Along with four broken ribs. He has cuts and bruises all over his arms and face and oh Alice, he looks so bad!" She said all in two breaths.

An image of Jackson ran through my mind. It had been the night after we had first had sex and I was laying on my back, and he was beside me on his stomach. His fingers had been trailing up and down my arm while I was blissfully laying there so content and so in love. I looked over and lay on my side, our faces close. He propped his head up into his hand and smirked at me. That grin sent me to heaven and back. I didn't think it could get any better and then he whispered. "I love you so much darlin."

My daydream was interrupted by Maria asking me if I was alright. I looked at her and wiped my wet eyes, "No I'm not. I miss him so much and I made a mistake last night and now he is hurt and broken and I don't know what to do with myself." I said collapsing into a chair.

She sat down next to me and rubbed my shoulder.

"So any news on when he will be ok?" I asked, realizing that was probably a stupid question.

She shrugged, "Right before you came here my parents were called into the room so I am stuck out here waiting to hear what they have to say."

So that is what we did, we sat here and waited. It seemed like forever before I could hear the familiar sounds of Mr. Whitlock's voice coming down the hallway.

I stood up abruptly when they came into view. I hadn't seen them since the breakup and wasn't sure how to handle this situation.

"Alice?" Mrs. Whitlock asked coming towards me quickly and wrapping me up into a hug. "Sweetie, it is so good to see you!" She said breaking away from the hug.

Jasper's parents had always been so nice to me. I felt like I was at home when I sat down in their kitchen for dinner. They treated me like a second daughter, and one of the things I hated about this breakup was realizing I probably wouldn't see them again.

"As soon as I got Maria's texts I came here. I don't want to intrude though." I said realizing how weird this was that I was here.

"Alice, you could never intrude. We love you very much and you deserve to be here. I know Jasper would want you here." She said.

Maria shifted her feet and spoke up, "So what is going on? When are they bringing Jasper out of a coma?"

They explained that they had gotten all of Jasper's vitals to where they needed to be and they would start to bring him out of his coma soon. I sighed in relief.

The next few hours were excruciating and I started to think about why I was here…what would happen when he woke up? I didn't know if I could handle seeing him, especially in a state like this.

Even though I knew she wouldn't care, I let my mom know where I was.

Finally after seven hours of waiting in silence, the doctors came out to let us know that Jasper was indeed waking up. The doctor didn't want anyone in there besides family when Jasper woke up and that meant I would have to wait to see him. Which was fine, but she brought tears to my eyes when Mrs. Whitlock said, "Alice is family."

I let them go in first and waited patiently in the waiting room, texting Rose to let her know what was going on. She said that Emmett had been asking about me, and I breathed a sigh of relief when she said she hadn't given him my number. Regardless of what happened tonight with Jasper, I was not going to go down that road. It was full of reminders of the bad things that had led up to this point. I didn't even know if I should tell him…

"Bella, you want to come in?" Maria said coming to get me about twenty minutes later.

I stood up now self conscious of my appearance. I didn't think that the next time I would see my ex would be when I looked like shit. I hadn't even gotten a chance to take a shower after last night.

Grabbing my purse, I followed her and when we got to the door, my breath hitched. This was it. I was about to see the love of my life.

She opened the door and I was greeted by the sounds of beeping that surrounded the room. His mom was sitting in a chair that had been scooted up to the bed and her hand was covering a very beat up hand lying on top of the covers. His dad was in a chair more towards the corner, and his sister left my side to sit on the edge of his bed. And Jasper was laying on the bed, wires and tubes everywhere. His face was covered in scratches and his eye was bruised. My breath caught in my throat, he looked so broken and there was nothing I could do.

His mom patted a seat next to hers and said, "Here Alice, why don't you have a seat here."

Slowly I walked over to the bed and sat down, taking in his appearance. His dirty blonde hair was pushed back off of his face and his eyes were shut blocking his gorgeous green eyes. I felt a tear escape my eyes and I quickly wiped it away.

I was too lost in the sight of him to notice that suddenly, I was alone in the room. I raised my hand to place it on his and hesitated. What if he woke up? Would he be mad at me for the contact?

Fuck it.

I placed my hand on his cold hand and squeezed it gently. He stirred slightly and I watched his face as his eyes slowly opened.

"Oh thank God, Jasper." I said in a quick breath.

"Alice." He breathed.

"Shhh." I said, not wanting him to waste his strength.

"I'm fine; you have no idea how amazing it is to see you. I am so sorry." He said squeezing my hand.

"I didn't know if you would have wanted me to come but when I got to check my phone this afternoon and I saw Maria's texts, I was here in a heartbeat. I am sorry it took me so long to get here." I said hating myself suddenly. I had selfishly slept with someone and here the love of my life was in a hospital bed.

"Hey, no need to say you're sorry Alice. I shouldn't have been at that bar last night, and then when I saw you with him, I just flipped. It was as though my whole world was crashing down."

_Wait, what?_ "You were at the bar last night?" I asked sitting straight up.

He nodded, "I was out with my friends last night, and I saw you dancing with him. I don't want to know the details, but I lost it. So I drank more and I left. I shouldn't have done that."

It was all my fault for him being in the hospital. If I had just stayed home and wallowed, he wouldn't be here.

"Darlin, don't blame yourself, ok? It was my own fault. But I have to be honest about something." He said.

I nodded, bracing myself. He continued, "I can't stop thinking about you. These last few weeks have been hell, and seeing you at the jewelry store broke me. I love you Alice, and I know it is so selfish of me to say these things to you, but I should have never let you go. I need you, and I can't be without you."

I leaned down fully understanding what he was saying to me. And so I answered, "I love you too." And I brought my lips to his gently.

x.x.x

Jasper was monitored for a few more days in the hospital, mostly to make sure that his brain hadn't suffered any while being in a coma. Luckily, he was fine and went home only with a few bottles of pain medication. His arm was put into a cast and then he had to wear a sling for the first week.

I had seen the pictures from the accident and I thanked whoever it was up in heaven that he had escaped with the injuries that he suffered.

The few days in the hospital with him had been oddly amazing. It was as though time hadn't even passed. The time we had spent apart felt like it had been a really long vacation and we were only catching up.

When we arrived at his house after bringing him home from the hospital he asked me to come up to his room with him. Agreeing, I grabbed his suitcase and followed him upstairs.

He shut the door behind him with his good hand, and walked slowly over to his dresser.

"I know this is super forward of me, and I have no idea what you are going to say to this but I think you should see what I have." He said walking over to me, his hand behind his back obviously holding something.

"Alice, as soon as you walked out of that jewelry store I knew I couldn't be without you. So I did something crazy and thankfully not wasteful. I went back in and bought this back." He said producing his hand that held a small black box.

I gasped and suddenly knew what it was. He continued. "I knew this wasn't the end of us. It couldn't be and I knew that someday after the hurt was gone I would fight for you. I love you Alice, and I hope you will accept this promise ring as a promise that I will never leave you again. Darlin, you are mine, and I know we were meant for each other. Will you accept this promise ring?"

He grinned my favorite lopsided grin and I smiled widely back. "Of course. I love you Jasper." I said wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him. He smiled against my lips and pulled away, opening the box and slipping the ring on my right hand ring finger.

"I love you too." He said in almost a whisper.

I smiled, "Times infinity." I giggled.

He took my face in his hands and looked at me seriously, sending chills throughout my body. "Plus two." He said.

And I replied in a way I thought I would never be able to again. "Forever." And I buried myself into him, knowing I would never let him go again.

"And ever."


End file.
